Partners In Healing
by Mugleep
Summary: Akayla Sakuraya, a girl who was abused since she was 5 by her mother, finds herself with a new family. A rather unique one at that. Will her past ever leave her? Or will she succumb to the awful memories, scarred onto her heart forever, and just end all? This story is one of learning to accept someone for their personality, not their looks, and ultimately, one of healing. OC/OC
1. Prologue

It was a cool December night in New York city. The wind was harsh, blowing away the warmth from buildings when doors were open to welcome customers. Somewhere farther east of the great city; a young girl and her mother were sitting in their home; the girl freezing , and her mother warm under a fleece blanket. The young girl was covered in cuts and bruises; all haunting gifts by her mother's hands. "M-mommy, might I be able t-to join you under the b-blanky?" The seven year old girl said barely above a whisper. The woman grew an angry face, and slapped the child. "How dare you consider that! How selfish of you to want your mother to be cold while you hog all the warmth!" The woman slapped the child again, making a cut grace the child's face because of her ring. "I-I'm sorry mommy." The little girl huddled in the corner; hugging her legs to her chest trying to gain warmth for her numb body. She fell into a harsh slumber of nightmares, awaiting the rude awakening she received from her mother every morning... Ever since her father left.

The next morning, the sun peeked out of the horizon to greet the many buildings and people of New York. As expected her mother woke the girl by smacking her hard, in the side with a wooden bat. It hurt much, but the little girl knew better than to cry out. If she did, she would receive much worse from her mother. She didn't understand what she had done. She loved her mother, but for some reason unbeknownst to her; her mother hated her. She always told her that it was her fault the her dad left. That SHE was the cause of her mom's suffering. "Get up you worthless piece of crap." The mom spat, kicking her daughter. The little girl of seven years rose; tears brimming her eyes. She wouldn't let them fall though, or she'd be punished for being weak. "Yes m-mom?" She said weakly. "Get the hell out of here, and get your ass to the grocery store!" She said in a bitter voice, throwing the money at the girl. "Okay!" The seven year old ran out of the small apartment building, and into the streets.

She didn't know why she kept going to get food; she never really got any to eat. When she did; it was barely any. She walked into the small store putting on a false smile. "Good morning Akayla." The clerk greeted her. He was in his thirties, and was engaged to her neighbor Ms. Kokosing. They were a nice couple. "Hi Benny!" She greeted. "Can I help you with anything?" He asked kneeling down to her level. "Yeah, my mommy wants some bread, milk, and eggs." She said with a cherry voice. "Okay." He helped her get what she needed, and rung her up.

"Your birthdays coming up, isn't it?" He asked giving her the change. "Yeah... But I don't think mommy is going to get me anything... I don't think she loves me" She said with a solemn face. Benett put his hands on her shoulders, and made her look at him. "What do you mean? She's your mom of course she loves you!" "Does hitting someone everyday mean I love you?" She wasn't being sarcastic, she really didn't know. That's all she had known. "No... Akayla, why did you ask me that?" He was confused. If she had been being beaten, wouldn't he have heard her screaming? Akayla, who had been wearing a long sleeve shirt, rolled up her sleeves to show the confused man. His mouth hung open when he laid eyes on her arms. They were almost completely purple there were so many bruises. Looking at her face again, he saw cuts, including the one she'd received last night. "How long has this been going on?" He said pulling her sleeves back down. "Since daddy left." Benett looked at her in shock. That was a little over two years ago! "I'll make sure she doesn't hurt you anymore." He said picking up the girl. While he was carrying her, he realized she was lighter then a girl her age should be. He hugged the girl closer to him, he wouldn't let her be abused any more.

He owned the shop so he could leave as he pleased. He walked out the doors straight to his home, with Akayla in his arms. 'How dare Maribelle lay a single hand on Akayla!' he thought as he walked through the icy streets. She was like a daughter to him. Before Derek, her father, had left he would always watch her while her mom and dad went out.

Arriving at the building, he brought Akayla to her apartment, promising he'd get her out as soon as possible. Akayla sheepishly walk into her house, quietly shutting the door behind her.

"H-hi mom..." She said handing over the groceries. Her mom slapped her saying, "you're late!" Akayla slowly walked over, and sat down on the couch. Her mother wasn't done with her assault yet though. She came over and hit Akayla repeatedly, covering her in bruises. When the girl began bleeding, her mother roughly picked her up by her shoulder-length hair, and flung her out the door, and over the railing. They lived on the second floor of the apartment building, so she landed roughly.

Akayla laid there as pain overwhelmed her frail body. She was sore from the beating, and her ankle had twisted to an angle that shouldn't have been possible when she was thrown out the door. She weakly dragged herself over to the tree her dad had planted the day she was born, and slouched against it. Her breathing was ragged, and vision was becoming blurry. 'Why did daddy leave...' she thought weakly. For some reason when she thought of her father, her left arm felt better. She weakly rolled up her sleeve to reveal a cherry blossom branch covered in blooms, and three pink pedals falling down her forearm. 'Huh?' when she closed her eyes, it felt like someone was holding her. Then she heard a soft voice, speak to her in her mind. "Akayla, you're a very special child. You've always loved plants, and helping others even though you have not been in caring arms since your dad left. Because of your heart, and will, I give you the gift of healing. Through this marking of the cherry blossom, you can raise dead plants, and heal others' wounds. Use it wisely child, for with power comes responsibility." The voice faded, and Akayla looked up at the tree she had grown up with. She touched her right arm and face, and instantly the cuts were healed, though the bruises remained. She stood up, went back up the steps, and sat in front of the door, pulling her knees to her chest.

Hours later, a man in a suit came and knocked on the door. While he was waiting, for the first time he had noticed Akayla sitting by the door. He knelt down to the girl, and touched her shoulder. She jerked her head up at his touch, fearing it was her mother, but found it was just a young man who looked to be in his late thirties. "W-who are you?" She stuttered. "My names Phil, and I'm going to get you away from here." He said softly. He got up and knocked again. A woman called from inside, "Brat! Get the hell away from the door!" She kicked the door. "Mam, this is child services. We got a call about abuse, and I'm here to investigate." The door instantly opened, and the woman made a fake smile. "I'm sorry. Please come in." He scowled at her, and walked in.

It was a nice apartment. There was a couch, a large tv, and all that. "May I see the child's room?" He questioned. "She doesn't have one. She sleeps on the... Erm... Couch." She lied. Phil looked down to the girl standing by him and she shook her head, indicating her mother was lying. "You know you can be arrested for lying to me." He said sternly. She told the truth, saying that her daughter slept on the floor, without any blankets. "That's all I need to see. I find you are guilty of child abuse, and fir having unfit living arrangements for her. For these reasons, I am your daughter away from you." Phil picked up Akayla, and walked out the door. "You will have to pay a hundred dollars a month to help your daughter through her expenses." With that, he closed the door, and left.

Akayla peered out the window from the car she was riding in. She was finally free of her mother's torture. She couldn't help but wonder where she was going, and if she would be treated the same as she was at her home. She didn't need to go to some orphanage; all she needed was a hero. Before her dad left, he'd always tell her stories of princesses and even normal girls being rescued by their heroes. That's what she wanted. To be taken far away from those who hurt her, and to be with someone who loved her for her, and wouldn't judge her for being different. She may only be seven, but she knew what the people of New York were like, and that no matter what she would get judged.

Akayla closed her eyes and thought of what it would be like to be loved. Would it cause joy, or pain? Would she be free, or a prisoner? Would it be true, or a lie? She had so many questions that would probably never be answered, but she continued her thoughts. They were cut short though, because the man she knew as Phil, stopped the car, and said they were here.

Unbuckling herself, she opened the door, and stepped out of the car. The building she saw was huge, but it seemed gloomy. It was a deep gray, and had large black gates surrounding the entire thing. No children were laughing, in fact, there weren't any other kids in sight. She gulped before she began walking towards the strange building. She was scared of being beaten... Or worse.

They entered the building, and walked through the endless corridors. When they finally stopped, it was in front of a large black door that said :

Just the name was enough to make Akayla feel unsafe. Phil opened the door, and ushered her in unaware of her fear. "What do you want?" The woman said bitterly. She looked to be fifty-seven. Her hair was gray, and she was wearing way too much make-up. Her eyes were cold, and held no sympathy for anything. Akayla cringed at her look. She knew she was going to be miserable here..."This is Akayla, and she needs a home. Do you have any open rooms?" Phil asked, completely clueless. "Why yes we do..." Mrs. Blackheart said with a wicked smile. "Good. Goodbye." Phil said. He left, leaving Akayla and the old hag to settle things. "Alright, get to your room!" She yelled when she saw Phil exit the building. threw a card at Akayla with her dorm number on it, and slammed the door behind her.

Akayla slowly walked down the halls. They were filled with cameras and doors. Finally arriving at her own, she opened the door. There were four beds, and all but one had a child her age, weeping on it. They all looked up immediately when Akayla entered, fearing it was . "Oh, it's the new girl." One of them said. She had blonde hair that came down to her shoulders, and glasses. She was the first to get up and introduce herself to Akayla. "My names Anibelle, what's your name?" She asked. "I-I'm Akayla..."Akayla said looking down. Anibelle put a hand on her shoulder. "You'll get used to it here eventually. This is Emma and Emily. They're twins." Anibelle said gesturing to the other two girls. "Hi..." Akayla said quietly. She walked over to the bed she assumed was hers and laid down. All she really wanted to do right now was sleep. She was emotionally drained, and just wanted to hopefully fall into a peaceful slumber. She was about to when a tall red-haired woman slammed the door open, and dragged all four girls out by their wrists.

"I can't do it!" Akayla cried as she was forced to pull a heavy load of cement up a hill where they were to be building a giant monument. A man slapped her yelling, "Do as you're told!" Akayla pulled at the load again, only to fall to the ground. Once again she was slapped for not following orders. She got up, and trudged on, hoping that the suffering would soon end.

Hours later the four girls were brought back to their room, weak and exhausted. Akayla slowly crawled to her bed, and climbed up. Not ten seconds later of collapsing on the bed, she succumbed to fatigue.

The next morning, Akayla awoke to the shrill sound of an alarm. She immediately got up, and ran to the cafeteria knowing it meant breakfast. She was half way there when she noticed one of the windows were open. Looking out, she saw the park and all the buildings. Not thinking of the possibility of cameras, and only of getting out, she started to climb out the window. She landed on the ground, and began running for the exit. She heard the sirens that told everyone someone had escaped, but she kept running. That is, until something sharp pierced her skin. Her vision began to haze over, until everything went black.

When she woke up, she was on a hard metal floor that was surrounded by metal walls. All of a sudden, a woman's voice rang out from a loud speaker attached to the wall. "Welcome, Akayla, to 'the box'. This room is specially made for brats like you who try to escape. In this room, you will be questioned daily. The less you know, the more you will suffer. If you answer incorrectly or lie, you will be shocked. If you refuse to answer you will be shocked. If you pass out, you will be shocked. Now, let us begin." Akayla was continuously questioned, getting shocked nearly every time. This went on everyday for four months.

When those four months were up, Akayla was barely able to move. She had received little food and water, and was shocked everyday, all day. Actually she was only being set free now because a rich man was coming to the orphanage to get a daughter. She had to be escorted there since she could not walk up steps by herself. The man would have no idea she was abused for four months in a metal cage because they had already cleaned her up. She was put into a room with ten other girls as the man checked each one to find which one he wanted. When he came to her, he took her by the arm, and walked over to . "I'd like to take her home." He proclaimed. Though she was shocked, let her go.

When they arrived at the house it was night time. The man lived quite far from the orphanage as Akayla had found out. When he invited her inside, she said she wanted to sit on the porch for a bit and think. He left her without question, and as soon as the door closed behind him, Akayla took off into the streets.

She walked for hours before collapsing next to a building. She leaned against it, waiting for the blackness she knew was soon to come. That's when she heard it, a car door. Soon after a big hand placed itself on her shoulder. "What do we have here?" Said a male voice. She was then lift into the air, and towards the car. "AAAAAAAH! Help!" She screamed. She began kicking her legs, screaming, doing everything she could think of to get out of his grasp. "Shut up!" the man said, punching her in the face. She was now to tired and weak to fight back, and waited to be shoved into the car. Barely conscious, Akayla heard the other two men scream, and then everything went silent. Thats when she fell out of the man's arms, and into a stronger pair as she heard the man scream. "H-huh?..." She murmured looking up. When all she saw was warm blue eyes filled with concern, she let the darkness consume her, feeling safe for once in two and half years.

When she opened her eyes again, she was on a couch, with a damp cloth on her forehead. Looking around, she saw she was in someones home, but didn't see anyone. She decided to get up and look around.

The first door she came to, she heard someone inside, and slightly cracked the door open. She heard a voice cry out as if in pain, and then another older voice call, "Enough Raphael!" She leaned against the door until she felt it opening more. She lost her balance and fell inside of the room, and immediately unfamiliar eyes fell upon her. She would have hid, but decided against it. Staring at her was an older looking rat who was somewhat smiling, and a turtle that looked to be in his teens looking menacingly at her. She probably would have ran if it wasn't for seeing another turtle, but he was younger, and lying on the floor clutching his arm. Worry taking over her and pushing the fear aside, she ignored the two others, and walked over to him. Akayla knelt down next to him and offered a hand to him to help him stand up. He stared at her for a moment. For the first time she noticed how beautiful his eyes were. They were a bright golden hue, and were wide with shock and fear. Her eyes traveled down to his arm that was obviously injured. Akayla placed her hand on the hand that was covering the wound and slowly lifted it off the wound. It was bleeding profusely, and out of the corner of her eye she saw the rat and older turtle watching her in amazement. She gently put her left hand over it, and it glowed bright pink until the gash completely disappeared. She removed her hand and smiled at him. The young turtle sat up, staring wide eyed at his arm. That was when the rat game over to them. Akayla stood up in slight fear of what he might do, and backed away. "Do not be afraid child. We mean you no harm." He said reassuringly. "I am Splinter, and this is my son Raphael and Zaiden." He gestured to both of them.

Akayla's fear dissipated and she slightly smiled. "I-I'm Akayla Sakuraya." She said. He smiled at her. "Your last name means cherry blossom, does it not?" He asked her. She nodded. "It's nice to meet a human that has no fear of us... Come Raphael, I think you need a lesson in knowing when enough is enough." With a wave goodbye, he left Akayla in the dojo, alone with Zaiden. She turned to him and helped him stand up. "How's your arm?" She asked "Fine..." He said not looking her in the eyes. Her eyes once again filled with concern for the turtle. "Are you okay?" She asked. He looked her in the eye, and left the dojo. Akayla didn't know why he looked so broken, and sad, but she was determined to find out.


	2. Chapter 1

Paste your documen

Akayla walked around the layer taking in her new home. There were video games EVERYWHERE. She was pretty sure she was going to like it here. For some reason, she couldn't get a certain turtle's face out of her mind. Why had he seemed... Frightened? She wasn't going to hurt him, yet he still flinched away. Something had to of happened to him that made him that way. Was it possible that maybe... He was abused too? Thinking of another suffering made her frown. No one should ever be tortured, and yet, here they were living proof that it existed. Akayla decided to find him, and try to talk to him. But where to start? This was obviously a very big living space. Oh well... She'd just have to keep exploring till she found him.

After looking for an hour or two, she still hadn't found him. "Where could he be?..." She said. "Where could who be dudette?" Akayla jumped. She turned around and saw a turtle wearing orange standing behind her on a skateboard. "Ummm... I think his name was Zaiden..." She trailed off. The turtle looked thoughtful for a minute, then a look of knowledge over came his features. "He's in his room. I wouldn't bother him though, he doesn't really like being around... Humans. I'm Michelangelo by the way, but you can just call me Mikey." He said with a goofy smile. She smiled back. "Okay, thanks!" She bolted off in the direction of the stairs.

"Why are there so many doors..." Akayla mumbled to herself walking down the hall. There were six doors along the corridor. She decided to take a guess, and opened the first door she saw.

The room was dimly lit; candles being the only light source. It was quiet, and she could faintly smell incense burning somewhere in the room. She slowly crept into the room, quietly shutting the door behind her. "Hello? Is anyone in here?" She called just above a whisper. "Who's there?" Asked a calm voice. "I'm Akayla, I was wondering if you could tell me where Zaiden's room is." She explained. She heard shifting around, and in a moment someone was standing in front of her. "Sure, I guess..." He said. They exited the room and Akayla gasped.

"What?" The turtle said. He was surprised at her shock. If she new who Zaiden was she must have met him, and known he was a mutant turtle. "Y-your the one who... Saved me..." She trailed off, staring up at the blue-masked turtle. When a look of realization dawned his features, and he nodded; Akayla threw her arms around his waist in a hug. "Thank you!" She said stepping back. He smiled, and remembering what they were doing, pointed to the second to last door. Once again Akayla thanked him, and started down the hallway.

Coming to the door, she took a deep breathe and knocked. "Go away." A voice called from inside. "Can I come in? I'd like to talk to, and we're about the same age." Akayla said through the closed door. "No. Go away!" He said again, but with more force. Akayla opened the door anyways, and walked in. She could tell he just needed someone to talk to, though he probably wouldn't admit it.

"I thought I told you to go away!" He said harshly, looking up from his spot on his bed. His eyes were glazed over, and voice was raspy. Akayla could tell he'd been crying.

"Why were you crying?" Akayla asked after awhile of silence. Zaiden still didn't speak to her, but turned the other way. "Zaiden... You can tell me anything you know. I know we just met but... I feel some sort of connection to you. I want to help you." She said looking down at the floor, a slight blush tinting her cheeks. Zaiden looked over at her then. 'Does she mean that?' He asked himself mentally. No one had ever really shown him kindness that was, well, human. Sure the only humans he had known for years were Shredder and his ninjas, but the turtles had said others humans feared them. "Why are you so different? Why do you care?" He asked. Akayla rose her head, and looked him straight in the eye. "Because I know what it's like to be judged for who you are." She spoke with empathy lacing her voice. Looking closer, Zaiden saw her eyes had become glossy, telling him she was hiding unsure tears. He knew she wasn't lying, and got up. He slowly walked over to her, and gave her a small, cautious hug. He didn't know whether or not she'd accept his comfort, so he kept it loose. He was surprised, however, when she turned in his arms and wrapped her arms around him as well, returning the embrace.

They had no idea how long they had been Standing there hugging, before Akayla pulled back to look into Zaiden's eyes. They were a magnificent golden hue that reminded her of the sun. They held so many emotions in them. Sorrow, anger, confusion, understanding... There were too many to count. They were windows into his soul, but for some reason, they were curtained. Not letting anyone in, nor letting any emotion out. What had happened to him that made him hide his emotions and keep them under lock and key? So many questions, and yet so little answers. Only time would tell.

She smiled at him. "Thanks..." Her cheeks a light pink. She noticed that his cheeks were tinted with the color too and giggled a bit. "Don't mention it... Seriously don't." He said with a small smile. Akayla laughed at that. "Okay, as long as you keep the secret as well." She joked. He laughed as well. "So... You want hang out or something?" He said sheepishly. "Sure. I saw a bunch of video games downstairs, want to play one of them?" She asked. He looked astonished. "What?, did I say something weird?" She asked. "No it's just that... You like video games?" He asked surprised. "Doesn't everyone?" She retorted. As they started down the stairs together, one thing was clear.

This was the start of a beautiful friendship.

t here...


	3. Chapter 2

Six years have passed since that day, and Akayla and Zaiden's bond grew ever stronger. Though neither knew much of the other's past; they figured that someday the time would come, and to just enjoy each other's company till then. Not only had her bond with Zaiden grown, so had her bond with the others. They were like brothers to her, all for their own reasons. Leonardo because he was wise, and was the one who brought her here in the first place, Donatello because he was fun to tease, Michelangelo because he made her laugh, and finally Raphael because... Well...

She didn't really know.

He always yelled, and had a bad temper, and usually just ticked her off. But somehow he managed to find a place in her heart and stick like glue. While she loved each of the turtles for there individual personalities, she loved Zaiden's the most. He was a mixture of them all. He was smart, but knew how to have fun. He had wisdom, but also had a temper. A perfect mixture of all of them. Boredom over coming Akayla's mind she decided that maybe Leo and the others would let her and Zaiden come up top this time. She set out to look for him, determined to persuade him into letting them come.

Looking through the layer she had no idea where Leo would be. She decided to first check the dojo, then his room. She quietly entered the dojo, just incase Splinter was meditating. After severing the room, she concluded that Leo was not there. "Great..." She sighed. Walking out of the room out of the corner of her eye she caught Leo's blue bandana ties fly past. "Hey, Leo!" She called in the direction she saw him head off in. A minute later, said turtle walked up to her. "Yeah Akayla?" He asked with some annoyance. Guess she caught him at a bad time. "Can me and Zaiden come on patrol with you guys tonight?" She asked innocently. Her and Zaiden hadn't been up top since they were brought to the layer, accept the occasional visit to see their other human friend April. He looked thoughtful for a minutes before he shook his head no, and ran off. "Dang it..." She said looking down. She had really wanted to go out that night. The news guy had said it was going to be a beautiful night. Akayla walked up the steps to what was now her room, walked in, and laid down on her bed. Where she moped for the remainder of the day.

When the sun had finally fallen behind the horizon, and the moon took it's place, the turtles said their goodbyes to Splinter, Zaiden, and Akayla and left. Five minutes after they left, Akayla took Zaiden by the arm and basically dragged him up to his room. "Hey!" He said once the door was closed. "Sorry Zaiden, but I didn't want Splinter to hear. We're sneaking up top." She said, proceeding to throw on a jacket she had stashed in his room earlier. "What?" He asked, not sure he had heard right. "We're gong up top tonight." She repeated. Though he was still in shock, he nodded, and after a few preparations, they snuck out of the safety of the sewers and up to the streets of New York.

Walking around the large city, Akayla thought of the last time she was up there, and almost broke down into tears. Almost. Her and Zaiden walked through the streets for awhile, not really knowing what to do. About an hour later of exploring, Zaiden had memorized most of the streets, and Akayla had an idea of what they could do. While she was in the orphanage, her mother had to send a hundred dollars a month to help with her expenses. When she was picked, the staff had to give her the money they had received. She had a total of five hundred dollars, which she had been saving for special occasions. This was one of them.

"Hey Zaiden, wanna go see a movie?" She asked. She knew a theater around here that her father used to take her to before he left. "Sure... I've never been to one at a movie theater before." He replied. They walked over to the movies, and Akayla had him close his eyes since it was his first time. After paying for the tickets to the movie she selected, she took Zaiden's hand once more, and led him to where the movie was playing.

"Can I open my eyes now?" He asked once they had stopped walking. "Yeah." He opened his eyes to reveal a large screen that was playing before-movie commercials. He sat down in one of the many provided seats, and Akayla sat down next to him, giggling at his fascination. After watching the commercials for awhile, Akayla decided to make Zaiden's experience even better. "Hey Zaiden, want some popcorn?" She asked, turning her head to face him. He looked at her with a blank expression before asking, "What's popcorn?" She giggled, and after telling him she'd be right back, exited to the popcorn stand.

She arrived five minutes later with the popcorn, and sat back down in her seat. "Here, try some." Akayla said offering Zaiden the popcorn. He grabbed a few pieces, and popped them in his mouth. "Wow, this is good!" He exclaimed. "Glad you like it." She smiled. They sat in a comfortable silence for the rest of the movie.

"That was great!" Zaiden exclaimed as they exited the theater. "Yeah, it was," Akayla smiled, "you want to grab a slice?" "Why would I want to cut myself?" He asked confused. Akayla giggled, "No silly! I mean do you want to grab some pizza?" She explained as they began walking down the street. "Oh, sure." He replied, feeling a little dumb for not understanding. "Okay." She smiled, taking his hand in hers. Zaiden began blushing at the contact. "Hey!, you're blushing!" Akayla noticed. "I am? Gosh I'm sorry..." He said turning away from her to hide his burning cheeks. "It's okay, it happens." She shrugged it off. There had been many occasions in which Zaiden had made her flustered. It made her kind of proud that she had been able to make him blush in return. After a fifteen minute walk in silence, they arrived at the pizza place.

"What kind of pizza you want?" She asked. "Uhh... Pepperoni?" He said. "Sounds good to me," She smiled, "you way out here, I'll go get it." With that she went inside and ordered. No long after she came back out, and handed him his piece. "You're pizza my good ma- er... Turtle?" She said. Zaiden laughed, "You're funny. I like you... A lot..." He said looking down to try to hide the blush that had now placed itself on his cheeks. "I like you to... Wait what was that last part?" Akayla asked blushing as well. Zaiden just continued to look at the ground, his face red as a tomato. Akayla, though flustered, decided it was now or never. She wrapped her arms around him and told him something she'd wanted to tell him for as long as she could remember. "I like you..." She hesitated, "a lot too..." "Gosh..." Zaiden said, both their blushes deepening. After awhile, Akayla pulled back, face still burning with embarrassment. "I-it's getting late... Want to go back to the layer?" She asked. "Sure." He replied, and they started on their way. Arriving at the nearest manhole cover to their home, Zaiden lifted the cover. "Ladies first." He said smiling at Akayla. "Why thank you Zaiden." She said climbing down. Zaiden followed her, but not before taking one last look around.

They walked together through the many twists and turns of the sewer, before arriving at the entrance to their long time home. "I hope we don't wake anyone, it's late." Akayla whispered. "Yeah, or I'll be in trouble." Zaiden whispered back. "Then we better be quiet." "Yeah, like a mouse. I can turn into a mouse, and you too... Just thinking out loud here." He said. "Really? Cool!" Akayla said excited. "You want me to?" He clarified. Akayla nodded her head vigorously. "Okay. Take a deep breathe." Zaiden instructed. She did as told, and waited. Zaiden reached out and touched her shoulder, and she turned into a mouse, as did he. 'You okay?' He asked telepathically. Akayla opened her eyes, and looked around. Everything was in black and white, and she didn't feel as heavy. She looked at Zaiden, and laughed. 'This is so cool!' She also spoke telepathically. Zaiden's whiskers twitched, and she giggled. 'Cute!, you're nose twitches!' 'Yours does too.' He smiled at her. 'Really? Awesome!... Thanks Zaid.' she said. 'You're he first one to call me that you know. I can also turn into sea creatures and mythical creatures.' He explained. 'Really? I'd think at least one other person called you Zaid... Oh well. So you can turn into like a dragon and stuff?' She asked curious. 'yep.' He said continuing to walk forward since the door had become a bit farther away. A while later they had reached the door, and Akayla yawned. 'I'm tired...' She said as they entered through a mouse hole.

'You wanna be normal now?' Zaiden asked. She sleepily nodded her head. Zaiden changed her back into her normal form, but he remained a mouse, and sat down. Akayla bent down and picked him up. "You're cute as a mouse, but adorable as mouse." She said. 'Gosh...' Zaiden said covering his face with his paws. Akayla giggled and gave him an Eskimo kiss. "I wonder what time it is..." She whispered. Zaiden looked at the coffee machine in the kitchen before telling her telepathically, 'three a.m.' "Oh wow, didn't think it was that late... We should probably get some sleep." Akayla said. Zaiden looked up at her and shook his head. "No? Then whatcha wanna do?" She asked curiously. Zaiden turned his head to the couch.

Akayla got the message and walked over to the couch, siting down. Once they were seated, Zaiden began looking around for the remote. "Found it!," Akayla said raising said remote, "what do you want to watch?" 'You have the remote, you choose.' He said. "I chose the movie, you choose the show." She said with a smile. 'Action?' He suggested. "I know just the thing!" Akayla said turning on the TV and putting on WWE wrestling. Zaiden got excited and started running around on Akayla's hand. "H-hey, that tickles you know!" She said laughing. 'Sorry.' He said with a slight blush. "Thats okay." She said. They went back to watching TV for a few minutes, until Akayla thought of something. "Hey Zaid, how come when you turned me back into my normal form, you didn't change back into a turtle?" She askeI can't change back myself for awhile. It drains my power, d the little mouse on her hand. 'If I change somebody else, and I need time to rejuvenate.' He explained. "Oh... Sorry." She said, feeling a little guilty. Had she known he wouldn't be able to turn back into himself if he turned her into a mouse as well, she wouldn't have asked. 'Oh it's okay, it happens a lot.' Feeling less guilty, Akayla went back to watching the show. Soon, Zaiden hopped out of hand and onto the couch, and before she could ask why, he turned back into his normal self. "Better?" He asked in a slightly sarcastic voice. "Yes, but I like all your forms." She said laying her head on his shoulder. It had been a long night. "Thanks..." He said returning the smile. Akayla let out a slight yawn, her eyelids slowly drooping. "Don't mention it..." With that, she fell into a peaceful slumber. Zaiden smiled to himself, before following Akayla, and falling your document here...


	4. Chapter 3

The next morning, Akayla awoke to a quiet home. She looked around groggily, and realized she wasn't in her room. Slowly memories of last night flooded into her head, and she smiled, looking over at the turtle she had fallen in love with. He looked so peaceful in sleep, his chest gently rising and falling with each breathe. She watched him for a bit, before deciding to wake him. "Zaiden..." She said shaking him slightly. "Five more minutes..." He mumbled. This only made Akayla shake him even more. "C'mon Zaid, wake up..." She started poking him. With a yawn, Zaiden gave up and opened his eyes. "Morning." He said sleep lacing his words. "Good morning sleepy-turtle. Did you have a nice sleep?" She smiled at him. "Yeah, cause you were with me." He blushed at her. Akayla blushed as well, softly smiling at him. "Glad to here it... You think anyone else is up?" She asked looking around. Zaiden listened quietly for a moment before saying, "Leo is." "Yeah, but he's always up early. It's a good thing we woke up when we did, because if Mikey saw us, we'd never hear the end of it." She giggled. Zaiden looked around, checking to see if the orange-bandana wearing turtle was anywhere in sight. "Yeah..." he said when he was sure the coast was clear. "So, what did you dream about?" Akayla asked curiously. "Oh aaaaah..." His blush deepened. "I'll take that as a yes, what was it about?" She said with a smile. "Ahhh you know, you..." If possible, he turned an even brighter red. "Really? I dreamt about you too..." She trailed off, her blush matching his. "You did?" He asked. She nodded, "Yeah, it was a really cool dream too!" "That's why I didn't wanna wake up." Zaiden said, blush still in place. "Sorry, but I just couldn't wait to see your golden-yellow eyes..." She blushed. "Gosh..." His blush turned even darker, cheeks burning with embarrassment. "It's so fun and easy to make you blush!" Akayla giggled. This only made Zaiden blush even more. "See?" Akayla smiled. "Is that a bad thing?" He asked with slight worry. "No, it's actually flattering." She replied, playing with the ends of Zaiden's bandana. "You wanna get something to eat?" He asked after a moment of silence. "Sure." She said, unlacing her fingers from the silky fabric. "What you wanna eat?" He asked, his blush slowly disappearing. Akayla shrugged her shoulders. "I dunno." "Breakfast pizza?" Zaiden suggested. "That sounds great." Akayla said, getting up. Zaiden got up as well, and led her into the kitchen.

"I think we should put bacon on it." Akayla said as they added toppings. "Sure, you're the consumer." He smiled. Akayla smiled and jumped excitedly in the air before going to her seat. A couple minutes later, Zaiden came over with plates and set Akayla's down in front of her, waiting for her opinian. Akayla took a bite, and smiled. "This is delicious! You're a great cook." She said. A blush that Akayla had grown to love rose to Zaiden's cheeks as he smiled softly at her. She couldn't help to few giggles that escaped her mouth as she looked up at him. "What, what is it?" He asked a bit panicked. "You're supposed to be green, not red silly!" She giggled. "I can't help it..." He said looking down at his pizza. In no time at all, the others woke up, and invaded the kitchen.

"Morning guys!" Akayla said with a cheery voice. "Zaiden!, look at the damn mess ya made!" Raph yelled, storming over to the table. Everyone headed right back out of the kitchen. Leo to the dojo, Mikey to the video games, and Donny to his lab after a quick stop at the coffee pot. "I'll clean it up after I eat." Zaiden replied turning to face him. "No, now!" Raph snarled, getting angry. "No not yet, I'm not done eating breakfast." Zaiden said sternly. That did it. Raph's temper snapped, he pulled the chair out from under Zaiden making him fall to the ground, and put his foot on his plasteron. "Ow!" Zaiden cried out in pain. Akayla sighed, used to Raph's temper issue. "Raph, leave him alone!" She yelled. "Shut up girly!" Raph said pushing his foot down harder on Zaiden's chest. Zaiden screamed in pain, grabbing Raph's ankle in an attempt to get him off. Raph looked down at him with a sinister look in his eyes. That was enough. "RAPH STOP!," Akayla said running over and pushing him off of Zaiden, "god you're such a temper bomb, lighten up!" She screamed. "Push me again girly, and see what happens!" He shouted. Zaiden stayed on the floor, clutching his chest, and trying to breathe. "Oh shut up Raph, I know you'd never do anything to hurt me!" Akayla retorted. "You wanna bet girly?!" He said raising his fists. "First off I'm not your 'girly', and second of all," Akayla reached over and grabbed a frying out from the counter, smacking Raph in the head with it just enough to knock him to the floor unconscious, "GO BACK TO BED YOU GRUMPY JACKASS!" Throwing the frying pan off to the side, Akayla ran over to Zaiden and knelt by him. "Are you okay?" She asked worried. "I I I c-can't br... Breathe..." He weezed out looking up at her. She didn't know what to do! Damn Raph letting his temper get the best of him! "I can only think of one thing to do..." Akayla said placing her hand on Zaiden's chest. "To bad out first kiss had to happen this way... Thanks a lot Raph..." With a final sigh, Akayla put her mouth to Zaidens, and began blowing air into him. Zaiden passed out cold from the lack of oxygen. She was so busy trying to help Zaiden, she hadn't noticed Donny come into the room. She only noticed when she heard Don's coffee mug clank to the floor. She turned red as a tomato and turned to face him just as he began to say, "What are you doing?..." Akayla pointed to Raph and the frying pan that had just so happen to land by his head. "That explains it, is Zaiden okay?" He asked. "U-Uh I don't kn-know." Akayla stuttered. God this was embarrassing! "Let me see." Don said walking over. Akayla quickly got out of his way, knowing that if anyone, Donny knew what he was doing. "Is he going to be okay?!" She asked almost panicking. "He's going to be just fine. He just had the wind crushed out of him that's all." Donatello said picking up Zaiden, and carrying him to the infirmary, Akayla following close behind.

"Stupid Raph," Akayla muttered to herself as they walked into the room, "need any help getting Zaiden comfortable until he wakes up?" She asked. "Yeah sure, there's an oxygen mask. Can you put it on him please?" Donny said gently setting Zaiden down on the gurney. "Sure." Akayla replied, retrieving said oxygen mask and gently slipping it over Zaiden's face. "Poor guy. He didn't deserve this, all he did was make me breakfast... Damn hothead..." She cursed."Give him a few minutes, he'll wake up." Donny reassured her. "Okay. I'll watch him Don, you can go do whatever science thingy I'm sure you were doing before you walked in and saw...," Akayla began blushing. She cleared her throat, "but you might wanna get Raph off the floor first." She said. Don only nodded, and left the room. Akayla pulled up a chair next to Zaiden's still form, and gently traced the tattoos on his upper left arm. "Stupid Raph... We were having such a good morning too..." She said to herself, pouting. She looked up to Zaiden's face, and her gaze softened "Zaiden, I know you probably can't hear me, but I'm sorry about all this. Hopefully, though, hitting Raph in the head with a frying pan will give him some insight not to bully you when I'm around..." She whispered. Lacing her hand into Zaiden's, she could faintly hear Donny yelling at Raph for what he'd done. A few minutes went by, and still Zaiden remained unconscious. That is until Akayla heard a soft moan come from his body. She looked down just in time to see his golden eyes flutter open.

"Thank God you're awake." She said smiling at him, relieve filling her gaze. "Wha happened..." Zaiden said in a small voice. He sounded so weak, and his breathing was labored. "Raph crushed you with his foot. Hotheaded jackass..." Akayla growled. "He... He's done worse... No... Biggy." His voice was barely above a whisper. She smiled at how forgiving he was. "Still, he didn't have to do that. You were just being nice..." She trailed off, tracing the outline of Zaiden's tattoos with her fingers again. "Y-you... Okay?" Zaiden said trying, and failing to sit up. She hated hearing him sound so hurt. Raph better hope he doesn't see her for a while. "Don't try to sit up, rest. I'm fine. Your tattoos just fascinate me that's all." She said gently pushing him back down. He looked down to his tattoos. "R... Really? W-why?" "They're cool...," she hesitated, "way better than mine..." She glanced down to her sleeved arm before shifting her gaze back up to Zaiden. "You do?... Mine is a power source though..." He said curious, and confused. "Yeah, but don't tell any of the other what I'm about to show you, okay?" She said grabbing the edge of her left sleeve. "pr... Promise..." He said watching her intently. She slowly lifted up her sleeve to reveal a cherry blossom branch that covered her entire upper arm, and petals cascading down her forearm all the way to her wrist. She had never shown anyone the tattoo before. "You remember how when we first met, I healed the gash on your arm? Well that was only part of the power I gained from this. Wanna see the other?" She asked, excited. "Powers?..." Okay now he was confused. "Yeah, didn't I mention that? This is why I can heal wounds. Anyways," She said walking over to the Partially opened window and picking a dead flower, "ready to see what else I can do?" He nodded, watching the small flower in her hands intently. Raising her hand, she gently touched one of the withered petals. The flower began glowing a soft green before it's stem turned green, and petals turned a vibrant yellow. "W...wow!" Zaiden gasped, eyes wide. "Cool huh?" She said putting the flower in a vase by the bed. "Yeah..." Zaiden said. He broke off into a coughing fit, Akayla moving beside him. "You okay?," she asked softly, "here, I don't know why I didn't think of this earlier." She gently placed her hands on the plasteron covering his chest, and they glowed turquoise. "I can't completely heal you, but I can make it easier to breath. Better?" "Yeah, thanks..." He said, breathing becoming less labored under Akayla's ministrations. "Don't mention it, glad to help." "Can I get up now?" He asked. "If you think you can." She smiled. "I don't, that's why I asked you." He said with a cocky smirk. "I think with support you can. You should probably try siting up first, and we'll see from there." she said a-matter-of-factly. "Okay..." He said unsure. "I'll help you," She wrapped an arm under his as and around his shell, "ready?" "I think.." He was still nervous. "Okay." She slowly and carefully helped Zaiden to sit up. He heaved in breathe for a second, before it regulated. "That went alright..." He slightly laughed. "Yeah. You wanna wait a second before you stand?" She asked. He nodded, preparing himself to stand which would probably be harder. After a few seconds, Akayla asked if he was ready. "Lets try it." He said. "Take your time, I'm right here." She smiled. Zaiden slowly scooted to the edge of the gurney, and placed a foot on the floor, almost falling off but catching himself, he put down the other, and stood. "Woa, that was a close one!" He said. Akayla draped his left arm over her shoulders, and wrapped an arm around his waist. "Lean your weight on me, it'll be easier on your lungs." She said. Zaiden obeyed without hesitation, not trusting himself to walk alone. "Raph must've done something really bad this time..." He said a bit labored. "If he did, he's going to wish he hadn't. Ready to walk?" "If I fall on my face I fall on my face." He grinned. Akayla giggled a little bit. "Enthusiasm is the first step to accomplishing something." "I know." He said, taking a few steps. He let out a deep breathe , and looked to Akayla. "This doesn't feel right..." "What's wrong?" Akayla said worry overcoming her features. "My whole left side is numb?" He told her, becoming worried as well. "Shit... Good thing we're not that far from the bed." She said practically dragging him over to the bed, and setting him down. She put her hands on his left side, concentrating to try to find what was wrong. "Um Akayla, I'm a bit worried right now." He said with shaky voice. Akayla couldn't find what was wrong, and decided to get Donny. "You're going to be fine Zaiden, stay awake, I'm going to get Donny." With that she walked out of the door, and into the kitchen.

"Donny!" She said kind of panicked as she approached the door way. The yelling that started minutes ago stopped, and Donny walked out of the kitchen. "Yeah?" "There's something wrong with Zaiden, his while left side is numb!" She said. Donny's features turned from slightly annoyed to completely aghast as he ran into the infirmary. Akayla took that moment to turn to Raph who had stepped out of the kitchen, and jab her finger at his chest. "If _anything_ happens to Zaiden, I'll make sure you regret it!" She turned on her heel, and walked back to the infirmary.

"I don't know what happened! I I..." Zaiden stammered, panic setting in. "Zaiden, Zaiden calm down!" Don said trying to calm the distressed turtle. "I'm trying..." Zaiden said clenching his eyes shut. When Akayla walked in, and saw what was happening, she walked over and sat down by Zaiden, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and holding him close. "Zaiden it's okay, everything is going to be okay." She said slowly rocking side to side. Zaiden tried to get his breathing under control while Don explained what was wrong. "I think you have damage to your serimbreah contory. You must have taken quite a hit." He said. "Huh?" Zaiden said confused. "In english please Don?" Akayla said not having a clue either. "It's an organ that helps with a lot of the body's movement." He explain with an exasperated breathe.  
"Oh." Zaiden said worry filling him once again. "Stay calm Zaid... Can it be fixed?" Akayla asked Donny. "Yes, over a period of time."

"How long we talking?" Zaiden said suspiciously.

"Well depending on your condition I'd say a few weeks tops." Don said  
sheepishly.

"A FEW WEEKS?!" Zaiden all but shrieked.

"Zaiden calm down," Akayla said moving her hand to his shoulder and rubbing it in a comforting manner, "I know it's a long time, but getting worked up over it isn't going to help any. You won't have to face this alone." "What do you mean?" He said turning his gaze to look at her. "I'll take care of you and stuff until you're better." She smiled. What she didn't expect, however, was for tears to start pouring down Zaiden's face. She reached up and wiped them away. "I'll never let you face anything alone..." She said, gazing lovingly into his yellow hues. Zaiden took her hand in his own, and held it tight. Before he could stop himself the words, "I love you" were uttered from his lips. "I love you too, Zaiden." She said. "Even when I'm like this?" He asked not completely believing her. "Of course. I don't care about appearances, I'm not like other humans. I look at what's on the inside, and you have the biggest, kindest heart I have ever seen... Not that you _aren't_ cute though." She said blushing slightly. He blushed as well, new tears forming in his eyes, but that of joy. She wiped them away as well, "No more tears. Not happy nor sad." "I'll try." He said as fear started to set in. "It's okay, I'm here.." Akayla whispered so only he could hear. "Zaiden," Donny broke in, "did you fall anytime between yesterday and today?" "No I was drove to the ground by Raph and crushed my chest." Zaiden replied. "Hmm... Depending on the impact, that could have been the cause." Donny said raising a hand to his chin. "You think?" Akayla said trying to sound sarcastic. "Oh no Akayla, I know." He said taking her seriously. If Zaiden hadn't been holding her hand, she'd have face-palmed herself. "I was being sarcastic..."

"Why, why me? Why..."

They both found themselves turning their gaze to Zaiden, who looked like he was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. "Hey," Akayla spoke softly to him, "you're going to be fine, just rest..." Zaiden laid down on the bed, grasping Akayla's hand tightly until sleep over came him. When Donny saw that Zaiden had fallen asleep, he let out a deep sigh. "Akayla, I'm nit sure if he'll fully recover, he took quite the damage." Akayla rubbed her thumb against Zaiden's hand Ina soothing way before looking up at Don with a tear-filled gaze. "What'll be the permanent damage if he doesn't completely heal?" She asked hesitantly. Again Don sighed, not able to look her in the eyes. "He," again Don hesitated, "he may not... Be able to walk again..." Akayla froze in shock. Never be able to walk again? Zaiden? No it couldn't be... Finally finding her voice in the deep sea of thoughts overflowing her head, Akayla spoke. "Isn't there anything we can do?" She asked in a hushed, defeated tone. "Well, we can help him walk each day through the layer, that'll help build up his nerves and that's really all we can do. I'm sorry but that's all..." Donny said. "Alright. If that's all we can do, we'll have to make the best of it. Do me a favor and tell Raph I don't want to see him _anywhere_ near Zaiden. And... Let me break the news to him..." Akayla said, looking back to Zaiden. "O-okay... Sure." Donny said, stepping out of the room. Akayla looked to Zaiden's face, gently caressing his cheek with her palm. "Oh Zaiden... I'm so sorry... I'll find a way to make this right. I'll do everything in my power to make sure you walk again... I will..." she whispered. She laid her head down on Zaiden's plasteron, and let the darkness of sleep consume your document here...


	5. Chapter 4

Waking up the next morning, Akayla discovered that hers and Zaiden's hands were still interlocked. She looked over at his face and whispered sadly, "It wasn't a dream..." Gently kissing his forehead, she carefully untangled her hand from his, and walked out into the layer.

As she stepped out of the doorway, she couldn't help but smile a little as she looked around her home. It quickly turned back into a sad frown as she thought about how Zaiden would react to her telling him he may never walk again. "Hey Akayla, you feeling okay?" Leo asked her as he walked by. Akayla looked up, only to return her gaze to the floor, and slowly shake her head. He stopped in his tracks, and looked to her. "What's wrong?" He asked in a genuinely concerned voice. Tears started to stream down her face as she explained. "It's Zaiden... Because of R-Raph he may never be able to walk again. Stupid jack ass! I don't know what to do!" She sobbed, wiping her eyes. Leo wrapped her in a hug as she cried into his plasteron. "Ohhhh... Akayla if I know Zaiden he's a fighter. And you know what?, I'm gonna go take care of Raph right now..." He said pulling away. She nodded wiping away her tears, and went into the kitchen to get Breakfast for her and Zaiden.

When Akayla walked back into the room where Zaiden was, she saw him struggling to sit up. Setting down the two bowls of cereal, she walked over to him. "Morning Zaiden... Want some help?" She asked. "No I I got it..." He said sitting up. He stared at lap as he heard Leonardo yelling at Raphael. "He deserves it... Trust me." She smiled. Walking over to the forgotten cereal, she picked up the two bowls and handed one to him. He took it, and started eating, but after a few bites, burst into tears. "I'm sorry..." He said. Akayla immediately put her bowl down, "Zaiden, what's wrong? You have nothing to apologize for..." She said a bit confused. "For this for becoming this! I'm worthless now!" The tears continued to flow. "Zaiden, you're not worthless. Just because you've hit a bump it the road doesn't mean you should give up. Maybe after breakfast we could try walking around a little bit?" She said with a hopeful smile. "Okay..." He said, his tears slowly ceasing as they continued eating in silence.

Half an hour later, Akayla put their bowls in the sink, and went to get Zaiden so they could try walking again. Akayla wouldn't just give up on Zaiden. She knew he could do it. He was the strongest person she'd ever met. He had been through so much, probably more than she would ever know. But that didn't mean she wouldn't try. She entered the room and walked over by Zaiden's side, smiling at him. "Ready to give walking another try?" She asked. "Yeah... Sure?..." He said unsure. "Don't worry, I'll be there every step of the way." She smiled brightly at him. Her words made him smile, and he scooted to the edge of gurney. "Remember to lean on me." She reminded him. He nodded, and did as he was told. Akayla draped his arm around her shoulders, and wrapped her arm around his waist. "Here we go." She said. Zaiden gulped, and took a step. "This is scary." He breathed. Akayla intertwined her free hand into his. "I won't let you fall." She smiled. "Thanks," he took another step, "I'm doing it, I'm doing it!" "See? I told you!" Akayla cheered happily. "Wow...," Zaiden stumbled, almost falling, but caught himself, "hhhhh that was close." "We're almost to door." Akayla said. He got excited but stayed focused for fear of losing his balance. A few steps later, they reached the door, and Akayla opened it. "I can't believe I'm doing it!" Zaiden said with sheer joy. Akayla smiled at him. "Think you can make it to the couch?" She asked. "Let's try." He replied with new found confidence. "Okay." Akayla said, happy that his confidence had returned. They began walking to the couch, failing to notice the pair of chocolate brown eyes following their every step. "Very good..." The owner said to himself. "Huh?," Zaiden said turning to face the voice almost falling on Akayla in the process, "oops." A blush sprinkled across his cheeks. "Don't worry about it, it's cool." She said with a smile. Donny walked out in front of them with a sheepish smile. "Sorry, didn't mean to startle you." "Nah its okay," his blush remained, "I'm trying to make it to the couch..." Zaiden looked down. "C'mon, you can do it." Akayla persisted. Zaiden tried again and again, Donny watching his movements with a smile. Within a few minutes, Akayla and Zaiden had reached the couch. "YES!" Zaiden said excitedly waving his hand in the air. Akayla couldn't hold back her excitement as she tackled him to the couch in a hug. Donny smiled, and excused himself from the room, leaving the two alone.

"I did it." Zaiden repeated, his smile glued to his face. "I told you, you could do it!" She said smiling at him. "You never gave up on me... Thank you." He said returning the smile. "Never have, and never will." She smiled at him. "While we're here, wanna watch something on TV?" Zaiden asked her. "Sure I think family feud is on right about now." She said nonchalantly. "What's that?" Zaiden asked. "I have _a lot_ to teach you I see." She winked at him. "Shredder never taught me anything," Zaiden turned his gaze to the floor, "and know this..." Akayla embraced Zaiden in a hug. "I had no idea... And know what?" "It was the worst part of my life..." He finished. Akayla nuzzled him in a comforting manner. Just what had Zaiden been through before she had met him? What horrible things were done to him in the past? "That's terrible... I'm sorry you had to go through that..." She whispered. "I still do..." He mumbled. To say Akayla was shocked was an understatement. Zaiden was always with her, how could he have still been getting abused and tortured? "What do you mean?" She asked. Zaiden, who had been looking into Akayla's eyes, looked away. Akayla put a hand on each of his cheeks, and turned his head towards her. "Zaiden, you know that you can tell me anything, and I'll always listen. What's wrong, and what do you mean you're still getting abused?" She asked softly. It was a touchy subject, and the last thing she wanted was to bring up any painful memories. "Not since you've been here, but he always finds me... I can't hide from him..." He spoke sadly. There was fear in voice as well. "As long as I'm still breathing, I promise I won't let him hurt you ever again..." Zaiden smiled partially, and returned the embrace with a tighter one. "So... I know it's a touchy subject but... How were you abused?..." She hesitated every word. She knew from experience how traumatizing it was to be beaten for no reason. How much it hurt to see the person doing it take pleasure in seeing your pain. And how the memories of the lashings were unforgettable. Zaiden took a deep breath. "At his happy times I was tied down and cut, slowly and painfully. When he was feeling neutral I'd be tied to a chair, blindfolded, and burned with a metal rod that had been sitting in flames. If he was really angry he'd torture me for days, putting me through various tests that left me nearly dead. Then when he thought he'd had his fun, he'd he shackle me to the wall and shock me till I passed out, and proceeded to cut me to the bone on various parts of my body. There was a time when he shackled me to the wall of a cell and let a wild animal in, watching it tear me to pieces, only to shoot it dead at the last possible second. Then there were other times where he'd somehow force me to change into a wild animal he chose, and force me to fight other wild animals... You understand now..." He said trailing off. Akayla didn't know what to say. She instead looked down to his arms, seeing the scars she hadn't even noticed before. She gently traced a particulary long one on his right forearm. He'd had such a terrible past she felt hers was nothing in comparison. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you, I just didn't want you to worry..." He said. Akayla found her voice, "It's okay... I haven't exactly told you about my past for the same reason." "Well I told you, now it's your turn." He said with interest. "Yeah... Well, when I was about five my father left me and mother. She would always blame me for it, and hit me, and swear at me, and say I was a good for nothing piece of shit... Two years later the neighbors called child services on her, and I was taken away and brought to an orphanage. The people who worked there were no better than my mother. They'd slap us if we didn't do what they said when they said it, and we received little food to eat. One time when I was only there for about a week I tried to escape, but they caught me and threw me into this place called "The Box" where I was shocked nonstop every day for four monthes if not longer. Eventually a man picked me, and the night I went home with him, I left... After that, some guys tried to put me in their car when Leo and the guys found me and saved me... I've been close to these guys ever since... They're my family..." She said with a heavy heart. "Well I can tell you one thing, I'll never let that happen again. Though I can't connect with you on the mother father part... I don't know who they are all I know is Shredder..." He spoke sadly. "Looks like we both have healing to do, and we'll do it together." Akayla smiled at him. "I'd like that..." He said. "Me too..." Akayla snuggled up with Zaiden, and he wrapped his arms around her, holding her close as they watched TV in peace.

A question was plagueing Akayla's mind as she sat on the couch with Zaiden. She still couldn't believe the actions Raph had taken, and now Zaiden was paying the price. After awhile, Akayla got annoyed with the question swarming around her head, and decided to ask Zaiden. "Hey Zaiden, are you mad at Raph, y'know... For what he did?" She said looking up at him. "Raph might've done this, but it's no where near what Shredder did to me so no I'm not. Why?" He explained returning her gaze. "Just wondering, since now you can't really walk..." She trailed off. "I'll walk again, I promise." He assured her. Akayla reached up and tapped his nose his her finger, "good." She settled back down in her seat, and decided that if Zaiden wasn't mad at Raph, she wouldn't be mad at him either.

Weeks passed, and if it was at all possible, Akayla and Zaiden grew even stronger. They never were seen apart from eachother. Currently, Zaiden was in the dojo, practicing his different animal forms. Akayla walked in with her usual cheery smile, and went over to him. "Hey Zaid, whatcha doing?" She asked curiously. "Testing to see if my power is up to gear." He said changing into cougar, followed by a wolf, bear, dragon, raccoon, monkey, and finally back to hisself. "Wow! Can you turn into a dragon again? Pleeeeeeeeease?" she asked. "Okay?" He said complying with her request. Zaiden turned into a black dragon with peircing yellow eyes. 'Why did you request this form?' He asked her telepathically as he walked over. Akayla completely igornored the question and reached up, feeling the texture of his leathery wings beneath her fingers. "They're just like dragons' in fairytales! I love dragons. You're the coolest boyfriend ever!" He looked back at her, face red as a rose. 'Would you like a ride sometime?' He asked. Akayla's eyes grew as wide as saucers. "A thousand times yes!" She exclaimed happily. 'How about tonight?' He suggested. "That sounds great," She smiled kissing his nose, "I have to go now, me and Mikey are having a video game showdown. Love you!" She ran out of the room. Zaiden turned back into his normal self, and smiled as he watched her leave.

Later that night, as planned, Zaiden and Akayla were preparing for their flight. Zaiden helped Akayla out of the manhole, and into the secluded alleyway. "Ready?" He asked. She nodded, and watched with interest as he once again turned into a black dragon. 'Do you know how you put a saddle on a horse? Cause that's what I'm gonna need you to put on me before you ride.' He told her telepathically as he looked to the saddle leaning against a brick wall. Akayla nodded, going over to the saddle and picking it up. She walked back over to Zaiden, and placing it on his back. She laced it up, and gave him a thumbs up. He bowed his head to her, 'let's go.' "Okay!" She said enthusiastically climbing over and onto the saddle. 'Hang on tight!' He said before keeping into the sky and gliding. Akayla wrapped her arms around his neck, "This is amazing Zaiden!" She exclaimed as they flew through the sky. Zaiden flew down across the ocean, passing over the docks and going low enough so that Akayla could let one of her hands skim along surface, he too trailing a paw along the water. The moonlight gently kissed the water, shining brightly on Zaiden. He glided along the surface for a bit longer before diving up into the clouds, allowing Akayla to reachout and touch them as he flew. "So that's what a cloud feels like... You're amazing Zaid," she smiled at him, "I love you." Zaiden briefly looked back to her before returning his gaze forward. 'Love you more.' Akayla tightened her grip around his neck in a hug, "love you most!" Zaiden flapped his wings, and turned back towards the city. 'Love you more than life.' He countered. "Love you more than Mikey loves pizza!" She retorted happily. 'Okay, I think you win,' Zaiden surrendered looking around, 'where to next?' "I don't care, as long as I'm with you." She smiled. 'Okay.' He said flying into a cloud. He wrote a message in the cloud using his fire saying, Akayla and Zaiden forever. The clouds glowed brightly from the flame catching Akayla's eye. She gasped in awe when she read the message, and wrapped her arms around Zaiden tighter. "Thanks Zaid, and trust me, it will be forever, I'm never letting you go..." She said. Zaiden looked back at her, and lowered from the clouds. 'Its getting late, wanna head back?' He asked her. Akayla nodded sleepily, and he headed back home. Sometime along the way, Akayla fell asleep on his back.

Landing gently, Zaiden took another way back to the layer, not wanting to wake Akayla in order to change back. Akayla stirred in her sleep, frowning slightly "No Zaiden... Don't go..." Akayla whispered in her sleep. Intrigued, Zaiden listened to her quietly as he walked through the sewers. "Mom... No don't hurt him... Please! Zaiden!" Akayla silently cried out. Zaiden was confused. What was she dreaming about?, and why did she sound so distressed? "Zaiden..." Tears started Falling down her cheeks, and Zaiden was worried. 'Akayla, please wake up.' He said through his thoughts, nudging her with his head. Akayla woke with a start, jerking her head up and frantically looking around. "Huh? Where a-am I? Zaiden?" She asked hoping for an answer. 'You were having a nightmare.' He informed her. "Oh... Sorry." She said. 'You don't have to be sorry, what were you dreaming about?' He asked curiously. Akayla took a deep breathe and told Zaiden about her nightmare. "M-my mom found me and said she was coming for me in a phone call, so you went to confront her, but I didn't wanted you to go! So I followed you, and w-when I got there she was pointing a gun at you... I tried to get her to stop but... But..." New tears formed in her eyes, and she couldn't say the rest. She didn't have to, Zaiden already knew. 'It is okay, I'm here and not going anywhere.' He reassured her. She grasped his neck, fearing if she held him any looser he would disappear. "Thank you..." She whispered against his scalely skin. 'We're almost there.' He alerted her. "Okay." She said. A few minutes later they had arrived at the door. 'Can you get the door, I would but I'm still in this form.' He told her through her thoughts. "Yeah..." She replied tiredly. She slowly slid down off his back, and opened the door.

Zaiden allowed Akayla to enter first, and he follow her inside. "Here, lemme take the saddle off, it must be uncomfortable." She said walking over to him. Zaiden watched her as she approached him, 'Actually, it's very comfortable.' He said. "Really, it looks like it'd irritate you." She said befuddled. 'Not when you're riding on it.' He said. Akayla blushed a light pink. 'What was it something I said?' He asked. "Never mind it." Akayla said taking off the saddle and tossing it to the side. Zaiden morphed back into himself, "What a ride..." "Yeah, you look like you're ready to crash at any moment." She said. At her words, Zaiden dropped to the ground. Akayla knelt down beside him. "Zaid?," She asked shaking his shoulder, "you're supposed to sleep on the couch, not the floor silly." She giggled at him. "Huh? Oh yeah..." He yawned. She smiled at him, "c'mon sleepy-head" She said as she started toward the couch. Zaiden stood and followed her, "I love you." "I love you too." She said kissing his cheek. Zaiden sat down the couch, and Akayla snuggled up next to him. "Nighty-night..." He said drifting off. "Sleep tight..." She replied. Both of them fell into a peaceful slumber, dreams of that night dancing through their your document here...


	6. Chapter 5

That next morning, Akayla reluctantly awoke from her slumber. She blinked drowsy eyes as she surveyed her surroundings, her gaze falling on Zaidens still sleeping form. Carefully removing herself from his grasp so as not to wake him, Akayla stood. She gently kissed his forehead. "Sleep well Zaiden, you deserve it." She said smiling softly. As she turned away from him to head to the kitchen, she didn't notice that Zaiden had begun to stir in his supposedly peaceful slumber. "Akayla... No..." He whispered. Akayla turned on her heel at hearing his heart-breaking tone. "No... Hun how could you..." Tears were now streaming down his cheeks as Akayla heard her name be repeated over and over. She walked over, lacing her hand with his. "Zaid, I'm right here, it's okay..." She said soothingly. When he just continued whimpering , Akayla laid back down next to him. "I'm not going anywhere." She whispered to him. With a sharp intake of air, Zaiden was brought out of his nightmare, and back to reality. "Akayla!" He particially screamed as he jolted upright, clutching her to his body. "It's okay Zaid..." She wrapped her arms around him, returning the warm embrace as he held her tightly. It was as if he was scared that if he loosened his grip for even a moment, she would disappear. "Don't ever leave me..." His voice was fill with angst, and fright. "I'm not going anywhere unless you're there with me." She replied in an attempt to calm him. It seemed to have worked since he slackened his grasp around her, and relaxed. "I can't lose you..." He whispered. "And you won't, just like I won't lose you..." She replied.

They laid together for awhile in silence, before Zaiden's coughing broke through the quiet atmosphere. "You okay?," she asked placing her hand on his forehead, "You're burning up!" She moved her hand away, worry filling her ocean eyes. "I am? I feel cold..." He said, his body beginning to shake uncontrollably. "I'll be right back." She said going to get some blankets. Zaiden began to shiver more vigorously as he started a cold sweat. Minutes later Akayla returned with the blankets, and a cool cloth for Zaiden. She gently put the damp rag on his forehead, and began tucking the blankets around his still shaking body. Zaiden passed out shortly after, skipping every other breath intake. Akayla laid her hands on his chest plates, her hands glowing a bright turquois as she worked to steady his breathing. "He must've gotten sick from last night..." She pondered outloud. As if a reply to her statement, Zaiden began to cough again. She reached a hand up and gently dabbed the cloth across his feverish skin. "Hey Akayla, what's going on?" Donny asked as he entered the living space. "Zaidens sick, think he's got the flu." Akayla said, her eyes fixed on his still form. "Let me see," Donny said quickly looking him over, "Oh damn..." He slightly whispered. "What is it Don?" Akayla asked, voice lined with worry. "Let's just say it isn't good." Don replied with a bit of worry in his voice as well. "What's wrong, what does he have?" Akayla asked, worry for Zaiden's wellfare raising with each passing moment. "It's not what he has, it's what has him. He's fighting something, I just can't figure out what. I'm gonna have to do some tests..." He said. "He's going to be okay though... Right?" She asked. "Yeah be should be fine." Don said as he started said tests, so as not to scare her. Akayla held Zaiden's hand in her own, "Good... I don't know what I'd do without him." "Akayla, keep an eye on him, okay?" Don said heading to his lab. "Okay." She said mustering up a smile. "Ak...Akay...Akayla..." Akayla looked down to Zaiden, whom had weakly called to her. She gave his hand a gentle, reassuring squeeze, "I'm right here Zaiden, don't worry..." "I'm scared..." He stated in a worry-filled voice. Akayla ran her thumb along the back of his hand in a calming manner. "It's okay, everythings going to be okay. I'm not going anywhere, you'll never be alone in this." She said in an attempt to put Zaiden at ease. "I love you..." He said as the shivering ensued. "I love you too Zaid, that'll never change." She said. "AH HA! I got it!" Donny shouted in excitement from his lab. "What is it?!" Akayla shouted back. "I figured it out! God I'm smart!" He replied. "Yes Donny you're very smart, now whatcha find?" She asked with some annoyance. She didn't get an answer as Don ran in and over to Zaiden, giving him a shot of some sort. Seconds later, Zaiden was out cold. "Hey! Warn me before you knock someone out with an anesthetic!" She said. "He doesn't like needles, so I kinda had to do it outa the blue..." Don explained. "I don't like them either." She said with a shiver. "Well it had to be done. He's sick yes, but with a rare kind of sickness. I put antibiotics in the shot as well, with rest he should be fine." Don said, and left the room. Akayla sat down on the floor next to the couch, and laid her head on Zaiden's plasteron, deciding to sleep while she could.

Hours later, consciousness slowly welcomed Zaiden with open arms as the anesthetic wore off. He coughed a few times, looking around before his eyes landed on Akayla. "Akayla?..." He whispered. At hearing her name, Akayla awoke and looked up. "Huh? Oh, morning sleeping beauty..." She said with a small smile. "What happened?" He asked her. "You got sick and Don gave you antibiotics and an anesthetic shot." She replied poking the bandage on his shoulder. Zaiden shivered, "he could have warned me..." "That's what I said, but he said you're scared of them and it was better that he not. I'm scared of them too, so don't feel bad." She smiled. "Man, perfect match." Zaiden said, a small blush gracing his cheeks. "Yup." Akayla giggled. Zaiden tried to get up, only to be pushed back down by Akayla, "Woa there! Where do you think your going? You, need to rest." She said. "Hhhhhhh, come on!" He pouted. "No. On the bright side though, your wish is my command." She smiled at him. "That's not the bright side, thats the gloomy side..." Zaiden replied with a frown. "I don't have to y'know, I'm choosing to." She said trying to make him less guilty. "What time is it?" He changed the subject. "About four-thirty." She said. "Okay. Hhhh... I got a headache..." Be said, feeling as if someone was hitting him in the head with a hammer from the inside. "I could use my powers to make it stop. I might take five to ten minutes though. Wanna try?" She asked. "Ahh sure." He said. "Kay," Akayla said walking behind him. She raised her fingertips to his temples, and they glowed a soft yellow, "just relax, it'll go away in a couple minutes." "Okay," He smiled, "Thanks." "No problem." Akayla winked at him, and concentrated on the task at hand. Zaiden relaxed, and laid back in the couch. "How's your head, a little better?" Akayla asked a couple minutes later. "Yeah, thanks." Zaiden replied. "Don't mention it." Akayla said, rubbing his temples. They could hear Raph and Mikey arguing upstairs, and Leo trying fruitlessly to stop them. Zaiden groaned as the yelling only worsened his headache. Akayla growled in annoyance, "I'll be back."

She stalked up the stairs to the arguing turtles. "Its not my fault!" She heard Mikey yell. "You went in my room!," Raph yelled back with equal force, "and destroyed ma books!" "So!" Mikey reetorted. Akayla angrily approached the red door the screams were emanating from, and slammed it open. "What's with all the noise?!" She yelled angrily to get their attention. When they looked at her with surprised features, she calmed down. "Please keep it down. Zaiden is sick and has a headache..." She said in a quiet voice. They both stared at her for a bit longer before Mikey stated, "I wish my girl would do that for me." "You don't have a girl." Raph informed. "Yeah, well neither do you." Mikey retorted. "Why you're... Right..." Raph said defeated. "Thanks guys, I appreciate it... And Zaiden probably does too." Akayla said, smiling sweetly at them. "Yeah sure," Raph said to her and turned to Mikey, "You still ain't off scotch free you owe mew books!" "Yes of course!" Mikey said fearfully. Satisfied, Akayla started back down the stairs.

When she got down there, Zaiden had a pillow covering his face. She moved the pillow out of the way. "Sorry about that, they said they're going keep it down now." She said in a quiet voice so she wouldn't further extend his headache. "Hhhhhhhh achoo!" "Bless you." Akayla said returning her hands to his temples. "Thank you that helps a lot..." Zaiden said leaning back in the couch. "No problem, happy to help." She smiled at him. "Can you do one more thing?" He asked. "Sure, what?" Akayla replied. "Lay wit me?" He asked. "Of course I will." Akayla said. With that, she walked around the couch, and laid next to Zaiden. She replaced her fingers to either side of his head, and continued keeping his headache at bay. Not soon after, Zaiden had begun to fall asleep. Akayla whispered sweet dreams as he drifted off into a much needed slumber. Sometime later, Raph leaned over the back of the couch, "How's is he?" He asked. "Okay I guess," Akayla said cutting off her power and bringing her hands down, "he's sleeping." "Oh dang... What happened to him?" Raph inquired. "I don't really know. Donny did some tests, gave him some antibiotics, and left meto care for him without an explanation. He had a headache so I used my powers to help him feel better, then I had to go up and tell you and Mikey to be quiet, they when I came back down he asked me to lay with him, and he fell asleep." Akayla told him. "Hummm?" Raph said confused. Just when he was going to question her further, Donny called both of them from his lab. Kissing Zaiden's forehead gently, Akayla reluctantly got up, and followed Raph to go see what Donny wanted. Had he figured out what was wrong with Zaiden?


	7. Chapter 6

Akayla nervously made her way to Donny's lab, Raph following close behind. As they entered the lab, Akayla had no idea what to expect. Would Zaiden be okay? What had the tests that Don took shown as a result of his condition? So many questions, and so little answers, yet Akayla feared the answer. She couldn't handle the fact that whatever was affecting Zaiden could be fatal. Without Zaiden, she had nothing. Sure, she had Mikey, Leo, Raph, and Donny, four unique individuals that were like brothers to her, and Splinter. A rat who had taken her in when she was only seven, and called her daughter. She couldn't thank them enough for that. However, Zaiden was a different story. Both tortured and abused growing up, facing the world alone, she could relate to him in so many ways. And over the years, love had snuck up on her, and claimed her heart as Zaiden's. She would not accept the fact that she might lose him. She couldn't. He meant so much to her. He had been there for her from the beginning. Even when they had their very first meeting, Zaiden had embraced and comforted her as she wept. She would never forget the compassion, and care she saw in the deep, golden orbs that were his eyes. Thinking that the eyes that were like an open book that only she was reading, could possibly become clouded and blank from death's cold grasp make her uneasy. She'd have to trust the scientific turtle that he had everything under control, and Zaiden would be fine. She was so lost in her thoughts; she hadn't realized Donny was talking until he had made the movement to point at the results pulled up on his screen.

"Look at this. You remember that shot I gave Zaiden? Well check this out. I put micro Nano antibodies in it to survey his blood stream. Zaiden has this awkward black blood cell floating through his veins." Donny explained, gesturing to the cell as he informed them about it. "What is it?" Raph asked staring at the screen with wide eyes. "Criptic." Donny said a hint of sorrow lacing his voice. "Criptic is a type of blood cell that slowly kills it's host." He explained further. Akayla froze in fear as eyes were glued to the rather large black splotch on the monitor. This thing was going to… No! It couldn't be, something had to have been able to be done. Anything! All she could do was stare with wide eyes, filled with fear and sadness. Her voice had stopped working, throat becoming unbearably dry from horror. How could she let this thing invade _her_ Zaiden? She was lost in another world, falling victim to her mind's cruel thoughts. She almost didn't hear what Don said next. "Luckily, you have me, the smart one. Because as we speak, the black blood cells are dying!" He exclaimed happily with pride. "Meaning?" Raph said trying to get whether Zaiden would make it or not out of his smarty-pants brother. "Zaiden will be okay." Don said at last. Akayla had barely heard him, as fear was clouding most of her senses. "Don, you scared her." Raph said looking at the disturbed girl. "Sorry." He said sheepishly. Akayla still couldn't really make out what was happening in the world around her. She was numb with the fear of losing Zaiden. If it wasn't for the sudden coughing in the other room; Akayla probably would have been like that for the remainder of the day. "Some ones up…" Donny stated the obvious. As if not in a trance at all, Akayla rushed out of the room, and to the turtle she had grown to love dearly.  
"You awake?" She asked as she approached the couch where he resided. When she got there; she was greeted with her ninja trying to get up. "Zaiden, lay back down you need to rest. Whatcha want?" She asked. "Water…" He said. "Kay." Akayla said going into the kitchen to get the request. As she turned on the water to fill glass she held in her hand; she could hear Zaiden say to no one in particular, "I hate being waited on… It makes me feel bad…" He said. Akayla walked back into the living room, and handed him the water. "Thanks." He said with a weak smile. Thanks to hearing him mumble to himself; Akayla had a pretty good idea of what was wrong, but asked anyways just to be sure. "I hate being like this I want to be there for you...not you being there for me..." He said dropping his gaze to the floor. It's funny how the floor is never interesting until you're ashamed or can't look someone in the eye. Akayla put two fingers under his chin, and raised his eyes to look at her. "And you will, but right now it's my turn to be there for you." She said softly. He only weakly smiled at her. She moved her hand upward, and gently ran her hand along his jaw line. "I'll be right back; I'm going to get my notebook." She smiled at him. As Zaiden watched her leave, he could help the smile that appeared as she walked up the steps to the room she barely ever used.

Akayla fumbled around in the drawers of her dresser, looking for the notebook the guys had gotten her awhile back. None of them new what she did with it, but they would sometimes catch her writing in it. "Where'd the darn thing go?...," She asked herself, "found it!" She opened the notebooks and read through the pages; flipping through the various writings and scribbles she had recorded into it as she went back down the steps. "What's that?" Zaiden asked as she re-approached him. "This is my poetry book. I wrote something for you, and wanted to read it to you." She said, cheeks lighting up with a red tinge. "Okay!" Zaiden said with a bright smile. Akayla's blush deepened as she glanced over the words. She cleared her throat.

"I Love You For You"  
_I love you  
For who you are  
Every marking  
Every scar,_

I love your tattoos  
And the power they contain  
You're freedom for cruel judgment  
From feeling any pain,

I love your piercing eyes  
Those sparkling hues of gold  
They hold so many emotions  
So many stories they've told,

I love everything about you  
But what I love the most  
Is your kind and gentle heart  
How you never brag or boast,

I don't care you're different  
Your appearance doesn't matter to me  
Because when I see you smile  
My heart finds harmony...

Akayla couldn't look at him, scared that he wouldn't like it. _'Of course he likes it, stop being so paranoid!'_ She mentally scolded herself. "That's for me?... That's so sweet I'm gunna cry!" He said. Akayla looked up and smiled widely at him. "I'm glad you like it." She said wrapping her arms around his neck in a warm embrace. His arms came to encircle her waist as he held her close to him, "Thanks. That's the sweetest thing anyone's ever given me." "You're welcome, I love you." She replied. "I love you too… I've never felt this way before…" Zaiden whispered into her hair. Akayla snuggled deeper into his plasteron, and smiled. "Neither have I… Thanks Zaid, for teaching me how to love again…" "I don't know what to say?..." Zaiden said quietly. Akayla pulled back so she could look into his eyes, and kissed his cheek, "you don't have to." She smiled at him. Of course, like all good things in life, there had to be an interruption. "Ahhh Akayla? Can I have a word with you please?" Donny said sheepishly rounding the corner. "Um, Okay?" Akayla said confused. She got up off the couch, and followed Don to the next room over. " I need to give Zaiden another shot...I need your help to either hold him down or distract him can you do that?" Don explained himself. _'Oh great… Let's see how this works out…'_ Akayla thought. Both her and Zaiden were afraid of needles, but it seemed that Zaiden had it worse. "Piece of cake!" She said finally coming up with an idea of how she might be able to distract him. "Hhhh… I hope you're right." He said seriously doubting anything would work… Accept maybe holding him down… "Gimme ten seconds, then come on and give him the shot." Akayla said turning back to go to Zaiden. "Sure?!" Donny said surprised at the small time period.

Akayla walked back over to Zaiden with her hands behind her back as if she were carrying something. "Hey Zaid, I have a surprise for you, but you have to close your eyes. It's a really special surprise." The words burned as they left her mouth. She hated lying to him, the guilt already eating away her fragile heart. _'It's for a good cause. Zaiden needs this so Don can give him his shot!'_ Her mind tried to convince herself she was doing the right thing. She **really** dint like lying to him even if it was for the best. It make her feel sneaky, and secretive. When all she wanted was to be open, and one hundred percent truthful with Zaiden. She was hit with another wave of guilt like a bullet through the heart. _'I wish I could just tell him the truth…'_ She thought though she knew it wasn't an option. With a forced smile, she continued over to him. "What is it?" Zaiden asked trying to see behind her back. "You have to close your eyes to find out!" She said with fake enthusiasm. _'Gosh, I hate lying to him...'_ "Oh kay?" Zaidensaid closinghis eyes. Akayla signaled for Don to be ready, and leant down, gently capturing his lips with her own. Donny came over, and right when he was about to gice Zaiden the shot; his hand reached out, and grabbed it. "SCHIST?!" He said in surprise. "What's this f..for?" Zaiden said grasping the needle in his hand. "You needed another shot of antibiotics, and kissing you was the only way I could think of to distract you. Now let go and let Don give you the shot." Akayla explained herself, and the situation. "So you used me?..." Zaiden said as more of a statement than a question. It felt like someone had stabbed Akayla's heart straight through when she looked in his eyes. They held confusion, and fear, but that wasn't what made Akayla upset. No, it was the hurt. The pain she saw when she looked into his eyes, and it was caused by her. All she could think of to do was wrap her arms around him in a loose hug. "Zaiden, I'd never use you. I just know how scared you are of needles... I'm sorry..." She said in a low voice. "I am scared!" He exclaimed still tightly holding on to the needle. "Anyone need me to hold him down?" Raph said entering the room. "I guess it's the only way now." Donny said. "Zaiden, let go of the needle. You'll be fine." Akayla said. Zaidens breathe came in quick pants, he was starting to freak out. "I got him!" Raph said taking Zaiden, and holding him down. Zaiden lost his grip on the needle; giving Donny the chance to give him the injection he needed. "OW!" Zaiden called out in pain. Don pulled the needle out, and went back to his lab; while Raph let go of Zaiden, and went somewhere else in the layer. Akayla carefully rubbed Zaiden's shoulder where the shot was given to him, "you okay?" "No, it hurts..." Zaiden said sadly. Akayla poked the small wound, and it healed immediately. "Wow!," Zaiden said looking down at his now healed shoulder, "Thanks!" "You're most certainly welcome." Akayla said with a smile. "I really wanna take you somewhere...I wanna show you something..." Zaiden said looking up at contemplated whther not to let him up, but looking into his hopeful eyes, she couldn't help but agree. "Okay, but only for a few hours. I don't want you to over extert yourself." "Okay, I'm sure it won't be that long." Zaiden said standing up. Akayla intertwined her hand with his, and walked with him to the doors of the layer. "Where are we going?" She asked, excitement evident in her voice. "I can't tell you..." Zaiden said with a sly smile. "Aww... Okay." Akayla reluctantly agreed. They exited the layer, and stepped out into the sewer system. After a short walk Zaiden found the manhole cover he was searching for, and they left the sewers completely. Zaiden pulled Akayla along the city sidewalks; heading toward Central Park. "Soooo... Where are we going?" Akayla tried again. "The park." Zaiden said smiling brightly at her. "I've never been to the park before..." Akayla informed him. "Well nows your chance!" He smiled. Akayla couldn't hold in her excitement as they entered the park gates, and tackled Zaiden to the grass, kissing his cheek. "Thanks Zaid." She said gratefully. He blushed madly, "Uhh Akayla, this isn't it. Theres something else..." Akayls got up, ane held out a hand to help him up, "What is it?" "You have to close your eyes..." He said as he stood. Akayla closed her eyes, and after Zaiden waved a hand in front of her eyes to make sure she couldn't see, he took her hand and led her to her surprise.


	8. Chapter 7

Zaiden lead Akayla farther into the park, until they came to a heart shaped tree, deeply flourished with light pink blooms. "Okay, you can look now." Zaiden said with a smile. Akayla slowly opened her eyes, and gasped at the scene displayed before her. As Akayla looked closer, she found that there was a note attached to the tree. Zaiden waited patiently as he watched her walked up to it, and took the note. Tears sprang to her eyes as she read through it.

_Though Life may lead you where you least expect have faith that it is where you are mean to be. The day we met I nearly stopped breathing. You are the light that leads me, the breath within me, my only path. To explain how much you mean to me I would need a paper as big as the ocean.(but I don't think they make them that big)So I say this to you... my heart is yours..though it is broken I know you will heal it and make it well just as you do with my wounds...I LOVE YOU AKAYLA AND ALWAYS WILL...TILL MY LIFE LEAVES ME..._

The tears that had threatened to fall streamed freely down her facenow as she read over the note a second time. "Zaiden.. This is beautiful..." She said wrapping her arms around him in a loving embrace, "And as I heal your broken heart, I know you will do the same... I love you Zaiden..." "I was hoping you would...I didn't want to carve our names in the tree for a reason you see," he stepped up to the tree and ran his hand along the rough surface, "they see more than we we'll ever see in one life time. Each tree has a different story, each one different from the rest. They're story we may never know and carving or cutting them down they feel just as we do, they are still living. Pain is felt even if the one feeling it cannot scream or yell in pain, the pain is there." He turned to her then. "Yeah... That's the only downside to my power... I hear their screams, I feel their pain... The upside, though, is I can see their story, just by placing a palm on their trunk. They made me what I am today... They're why I'm still alive. I only have my power because it was given to me by them when I was very young. I was always facinated by them. One time when my mother went to far with her abuse, I was thrown outside. If it hadn't been for the tree that my father planted the day I was born, saving me by giving me it's life, I wouldn't have lived... I owe it to the plants to be the one to heal them, not hurt them..." Akayla said looking up into the beautiful branches. "Wow... That's amazing..." Zaiden said, turning to face the tree as well. "For instance," Akayla said placing her hand on the trunk, "this tree is about fifty years old, it's name is Koi. It was named that by a young couple that married beneath it's branches. They come every year on their anniversary to visit him too." Akayla removed her hand from the bark. "Wow, I wish I could do that... All I can do is talk to animals..." He said. "You can talk to... OMG you have to show me!" Akayla said, jumping up anddown with excitement. "Sure, just have to find one first." Zaiden said. Immediately, Akayla began looking around in search of an animal. "SQUIRREL!" Zaiden exclaimed, chasing after the furry creature. Akayla watch him as he went, giggling. "Just like a puppy." She remarked. It was't long before he had returned to her, the furry little creature in hand. "Akayla, meet Tori." He said holding out the squirrel for Akayla to see. "Hello Tori. I like your name." Akayla said smiling. The animal 'squeaked' a few times, and Zaiden translated. "She said thank you, and asks what your's is." "My name is Akyla." She replied, smile never wavering. Once again, Tori sqeaked. "She said that's a wonderful name." Zaiden translated. "Thank you." Akayla said. Tori turned to Zaiden. "Oh okay, it was nice meeting you," he said in reply to her sqeaks, lifting his gaze to Akayla, "hehe she's got kids to look after." "Oh, okay. Bye Tori!" Akayla said. The little creature ran off, leaving Akayla and Zaiden alone once again. "Wow Zaiden, that's **SO** cool! You're so lucky you can talk to animals!" She exclaimed. "Yeah, I feel like ." He said. Akayla laughed, "I love that movie!" "Ever try it in real life? They have **soooooo** many issues!" He said. "Yeah, I guess. But you feel proud after you help them. I'd love to talk to them." Akayla said with a dreamy smile. "I can transfer some of my power to you so you can talk to them for a short time..." Zaiden said. "Really?! Cool! You're the best boyfriend **_EVER!_**" She said wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug. "Really? I though I was weird?" He said with a blush. "No! You're amazing!" She said pulling away from him. "So you wanna try?" He asked. "Totally!" Akayla said, excitement relevant in her voice. "Okay hold still and breath in through you nose and out through your mouth, it might feel weird at first okay?" He said. Akayla nodded, and did as instructed. Zaiden took her hand in his own. Minutes later, Zaiden released her hands from his own. "Okay, give it a try." He said smiling at her. She returned the smile without hesitation, and turned, makinga whistling sound. A golden retriever soon appeared before the two.

'Whatdya want human?' He asked in a rude tone. Akayla, unfazed by the tone, smiled brightly turning to Zaiden, "It worked Zaid! I can understand him!" Zaiden stood back, and watched as the girl he adored, was amazed. 'Wait, you can understand me?' The dog said, perplexed. "Mmhmm, I'm Akayla, what's your name?" She asked. To any passersby, she would look like a crazy girl, talking to her dog. 'Before they threw me out, my owners called me Rex.' He said sullenly. "Aww... Sorry you lost your home. I like your name though." She smiled sweetly at him. 'Thanks, it' been rough.' He said. "I'm sure it has," She said reaching out and gently petting Rex down his back. She turned to Zaiden, "hey Zaiden..." She said in a voice that signaled she wanted something. "What?" He asked. "Can we take Rex home? _PLEEEEEAASE?_" She pleaded with large puppy-dog eyes. Zaiden looked back and forth between the dog and his love, and couldn't help but surrender when he saw both of them giving him the same look. "Hhhhhhhh... Okay..." He said. "Hooray!," Akayla exclaimed, hugging the golden retriever before stnding up and hugging Zaiden as well, "thankyouthankyouthankyouthan kyou!" He stiffened, "okay?" Akayla pulled back and intertwined her hand with Zaiden's. "Best day ever! C'mon, we should start heading home. Follow us Rex!" She said. They started walking home, a little shadow following them all the way.

'So... Where do you guys live?' Rex asked curiously. "Ahhee..." Zaiden sweat-dropped. 'Whats is it?' Rex asked, cocking his head to the side. "We, ah well we, we live in a sewer." He said. 'Really? Why?' Rex asked. "Thats a looooong story," Akayla said, coming to a stop in front of a pet shop, "can I stop in here real quick to get some stuff for Rex?" "Sure." Zaiden said. "Thanks. You two stay out here I'll be right back." She said entering the store. Zaiden turned into a dog himself, and conversed with Rex as they waited. It wasn't long before Akayla remerged from the store, bags in hand. "Okay, we can go home now." She smiled. Zaiden looked up at her, and wagged his tail. Giggling, Akayla gave him a few pats on the head, and started towards the manhole cover. Zaiden and Rex followed silently conversing with each other as they went. "Hey Zaid, where's the closest manhole again? I forget." Akayla asked. '6th street two blocks ahead.' He replied telepathically. "Thanks," Akayla said, "What're you two whispering about back there anyways?" 'Physics.' Zaiden said. Akayla giggled, "my nerdy ninja." She said, giving his dog-ears a scratch. 'Girls.' Zaiden told Rex, rolling his eyes slightly. 'Yeah, you shoulda seen what my old owners' daughter did to me.' Rex said, shivering at the unpleasant memory. 'What?' Zaiden asked him. 'She was six. She always put me in pink dresses and sprayed me with stuff that smelt like flowers.' He said in a rather horrified tone. 'I hope Akayla doesn't do that to me. I can die from it.' Zaiden said sheepishly. 'She doesn't seem like that kind of girl.' Rex replied looking forward. 'I know, thankfully.' Zaiden said to his canine friend. "Hate to interupt your conversation, but we're here." Akayla said lifting the manhole cover, sliding it over. "Wait... How are you and Rex going to get down?" Akayla said, staring down at the sewers. As an answer to her question, Zaiden turned back into himself, and picked up Rex, hoppingdown into the sewers they called home gracefully, not a single sound echoing from his landing. "Your turn." He tols Akayla with a smug smile. Akayla climbed down the ladder a few steps before pulling the manhole cover closed, and hopping down off the ladder. "Good idea." She remarked. "Yeah." Zaiden said putting Rex down, and following Akayla down the corridors. It wasn't long before the two came to the doors of their home. "Here we are. Ready for your new home Rex?" Akayla said placing her hand on the handle. Rex's tail wagged back and forth rapidly. "He's really excited." Zaiden said, chuckling and the dog's anticipation. Akayla giggled, and opened the doors, Rex immediately running inside. "Someones excited?" Zaiden said. "I would be too if I was living on the streets for so long, and then got taken in." Akayla said smiling, entering the layer.

"Reminds me of the day I found this place..." Zaiden said looking around, slowly walking through. "Dog bed, soap, brush, food, collar and leash, and dog dishes. I think I have everything..." Akayla said dumping the contents of her bags onto the couch. Zaiden sighed, a frown gracing his face. Akayla turned to face him, seeing the sorrowful expression in his eyes. "What's wrong Zaid?" She asked, voice full of concern. "Nothing..." He said closing his eyes, a single tear rolling down his cheek. He quickly turned towards to exit to hide the tear, not wanting Akayla to see his weakness. "Zaiden, what's wrong?," she repeated, placing a hand on his shoulder, and turning him to face her, "why are you crying?..." "It's nothing, really." He said, frown still plastered to his face. "No it is something," she reached up a hand, and gently wiped his tears away with her thumb, "what is it... Tell me." "...I...I had a brother..." He said barely above a whisper. Akayla hesitated before she responded, "You did?... Where is he?" More tears started to flow freely from Zaidens golden orbs, sliding down his face. "Gone..." He sobbed. "Oh Zaiden..." Akayla wrapped her arms around his form, and pulled him into a comforting hug, "I'm so sorry..." "It's okay..." He said, tears not falling any slower. Akayla pulled back some, and wiped his tears again. "I'm here for you Zaiden... Forever and always..." She said in a gentle tone. So much had happened to him. So much pain had been inflicted to him already, and he was only thirteen. It wasn't right. He was forced to grow up before his time, to bottle up his emotions and insecurities for so long. He was punished for being what he was, and it angered Akayla to no end. _Her_ Zaiden had grownup being told tears were a weakness, and so they were never shed. _Her_ Zaiden was told that hatred was strength and to love was to die. _Her_ Zaiden had been lied to since birth. Oh how it angered her. He was so innocent, and yet had lost it a long time ago. She'd never leave him. It was her job to heal him. To mend the wounds of the past, and help him look to the future. Never again would he face the world alone, bearing it's hardships on his shoulders alone. She would show him that love and tears were strengths, and anger and hatred were weaknesses. She would always be there. "I know..." He said sadly. Akayla ran hands up and down his shell in what she had hoped was a comforting manner, "It's okay Zaid..." "He was only four, and I was two when he died..." He once again sobbed. "You don't have to say anymore... I have a pretty good idea of what happened..." She said, not wanting him to dwell on such painful memories. Obviously if his brother was so young when he died, he must've been killed. And she could think of only one bastard that'd be so heartless to kill a toddler. He burried his head in her shoulder, and cried hard. "C'mon..." She said gently, leading him over to the couch. She pushed the items to the table and sat down with Zaiden still in her arms, rocking slowly side to side as he cried. "Ssshhh... It's okay..." She cooed. Raph decided to come in at that moment, and make a stupid comment, "why you crying man? Lemme guess, you lost your stuffie?"

Not a smart thing to say.

Akayla spun around, and slapped him, hard. "Shut up Raph! Unlike you, Zaiden wouldn't cry over somethig like that. He doesn't have to answer to you, nor does he have to listen to your bullshit. I don't know what possesses you to be such a jerk, but I'm not going to stand here and watch you treat Zaiden as a lower being. Do me and Zaiden a favor and go bother someone who gives a damn about what you think. You insensitive pig!" She spat in his face. Raph seemed stunned for a moment, before recovering, and saying something that made Akayla's blood boil. "Heh, you have to have a girl fight for yah. Such a weakling." He remarked, not a single drop of regret relevant in his voice. Zaiden, whom no longer had Akayla's arms wrapped around him, just looked at the floor, his anger slowly rising. "What is **_wrong_** with you?" She said tears brimming her eyes, "what on Earth have we done for you to have so much _hatred_ towards us?!" She got up, and fled the layer, leaving the two mutants as the door clicked behind her. "RAPH you JERK!," Zaiden said pushing Raphael to the ground, his anger snapping, "if she's hurt, I blame you!" With that he raced off after her. "Damn?" Raph said as he heard the door slam. Little did anyone know, things were about to get worse.

Much worse.


	9. Chapter 8

Akayla walked through the streets, tears slowly streaming down her face in small streams. She loved Raphael like a brother. She found herself becoming closest to him out of all the turtles besides Zaiden. Raph had always shown her kindness, but sometimes he acted like he loathed her with a burning passion. Akayla wiped at the tears on her cheek, skin becoming irritated from the salty liquid. Maybe she was over-reacting a bit, but who cares? It was hard to deal with Raph when he was like this. One moment he was sweet, and the next he teased and reprimanded her and Zaiden. Who did he think he was? Saying those cruel things to Zaiden when he was clearly upset. It not only saddened Akayla that he could be so insensitive, but it _angered_ her. She was mad at Raphael for what he had done. True, running away probably wasn't the smartest idea, especially with the enemies her family had, but she just couldn't stand to be near anyone at the moment. She was afraid she'd blow up at them for nothing, and hurt their feelings. As she continued walking through the streets, she could have _sworn_ she heard Zaiden calling her name. She ignored it, continuing forward. Akayla didn't want to hurt him by accident if she couldn't hold her temper back. She was torn between staying on her current path, and running to Zaiden. A sudden scream of pain answered her inner battle, and she ran as fast as she could. There was only one being that could scream with so much agony, and she recognized the voice. For the first time ever, hearing Zaiden made her blood run cold.

Upon arriving at the scene, everything was dark. Akayla could just barely make out a figure lying deathly still in the middle of the road. "Zaiden?!" She called in horror. She immediately broke back into a run, kneeling by the form, confirming her fears. Laying face down in a pool of spreading crimson was Zaiden. "Zaiden!" She called again silently begging, _pleading_ that he'd answer her, even if by a simple nod of the head. "A…Akay…Akayla?" He asked, unsure. He could hear her voice, but everything was dark and his vision was blurring. And the pain. The burning pain coursing throughout his body was terrible. He felt around blindly for her hand, and Akayla didn't waste any time grasping his in her own. He looked terrible to say the least. Lying in a pool of his own blood, stab wounds on various parts of his body, places on skin that told her they had burned him, but the thing that made Akayla's heart constrict to the point of breaking was his voice. It was quiet, and raspy. His breathing was shallow, and she knew he wouldn't make it if she didn't get help soon. "It's me Zaiden, I'm here." She said quietly. Fresh tears were already forming in her eyes that threatened to roll down her cheeks. "Are th-they gone?" He asked, coughing up blood. "Zaiden! What happened? Is who gone?!" Akayla asked, sadness and fear turning to panic. "Them. Th-th-the..." He turned his head to. The side and coughed violently, crimson liquid falling from his lips. "Save your strength... d-do you have your shell-cell?" She asked, worry lining her features. He took a moment to answer, and when he did it was barely above a whisper, "belt... pocket..." Akayla nodded and reached into his belt, pulling out the device, and dialing Donny's phone. When he answered, all the panic and fear that had been building up inside Akayla spilled forth, in slurred and combined words. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, calm down. Now what happened?" Don asked. Akayla took a deep breathe, "I don't know! Raph made me upset and I ran out of the lair, and I guess Zaiden came after me because I heard him call my name, I went to find him, and he's really hurt and barely conscious and and and..." She broke down not tears. "Pay okay, where are you?" He asked. "A-about a mile from the manhole cover on 12th street." Akayla told him. He hung up after a quick 'alright I'll be there ASAP', and Akayla returned the phone to its place in his belt. "H-he's on his way..." She said, tears spilling from her ocean eyes. Zaiden, breathing ragged, blindly reached for her hand again, which she grasped without hesitation. "You're going to be okay Zaid... I-I'm so sorry... If I hadn't run away, nine of this would have happened..." She said, dropping her head I defeat. "Is... O-o-okay..." He coughed up more blood. Akayla reached a hand up to gently wipe with blood from is lip with her thumb. She left her hand on his cheek, softly caressing it. "Hurry Donny..." She pleaded. Unwillingly, Zaiden was dragged down into unconsciousness, but not before coughing up more blood. "Zaiden?!"Akayla called to him. When she received no answer, the tears came down after as she gently placed his limp head in her lap. By time Don had arrived, blood was streaming out of Zaiden's mouth. "Help him Don..." She whispered, broken. Don didn't waste any time as he got to work, doing everything he could to save Zaiden. Akayla, still holding his hand, whispered to herself, "I know you can make it... please God don't take him from me..." Akayla whispered to no one in particular. Donny removed his hands from where they were tying off a bandage on Zaiden's arm covering a large gash, and looked up at Akayla, "that's all I can do..." As he finished saying this, Zaiden coughed up more blood, which Akayla gently wiped away with a cloth from Don's medical bag. She trailed her hands down from his face to the plastron covering his chest, and her hands glowed a soft turquoise, healing the damaged lung. She gave a small sad smile as she saw that he had stopped coughing up blood, and instead was still besides his gentle yet forced breathing. "After I rest, I can heal the gash on his arm. How do we get him back layer?" She said. "I carry him..." Don said nonchalantly. "I'll help..." Akayla replied. "You sure?" He asked to clarify. The small smile that had graced her lips vanished, and fell to a frown, eyes glazing over with hopelessness and blame, "Of course... I got him into this situation anyways..." "Don't be like that, it's not your fault..." Don tried to reassure her. "Whatever... Let's just get him back to the layer so he can heal properly..." She said, self-hatred lining her words. Donny, was worried before, but now it was for more than one person. Akayla was usually so filled with joy and love and hope, but now she was so dark, and faithless. He hoped he went back to her normal self soon. He picked up Zaiden, as did Akayla, and they began the trek home.

They moved quickly yet stealthily through the streets, making sure to support Zaiden as much as possible as they jogged. After a long moment of silence, Akayla spoke. "So... How bad is Zaid?" She asked Donny quietly. " N-not b-bad..." He stuttered. Akayla knew right then and there that he was lying, and when added to the worry, panic, and anger, she snapped. "What do you take me for, an idiot?! I've known you for six years Donny! Tell me the truth, or I won't know how much power to use when we get home..." Akayla said, starting out angry and then cooling down. "No, I don't. I just don't want you to worry. His wounds are my worry..." He said, looking down at Zaiden. "...Ow." Said mutant turtle moaned, slightly lifting his head. Akayla turned her gaze to look at him, and her eyes softened, "don't worry Zaid, we're almost to the layer, it won't be long now..." "Wha-whas go in on?..." He asked weakly. "Zaiden, we're heading back to the layer, just try to stay awake." Don said, looking forward again. "I-I-I can't..." Zaiden said, eyelids drooping ever so slightly. "You have to stay awake or you could go into a comatose state. Right Donny?" Akayla said. "Yeah... How'd you know that?" Don asked confused. "Just a guess actually. Saw it in a movie once." Akayla sweat dropped. During their conversation, Zaiden had begun to pass out. Don tapped his face and he jerked awake. "Come on, stay awake." He coaxed. "What can we do to keep you awake?" Akayla asked, readjusting his weight in her shoulders. "Hit me..." Came his reply. "Tapping you seemed better..." Donny said. When Zaiden began to pass out again, Akayla tapped him. "I'm not hitting you. Anything _ELSE_ we can do?" She asked. "We can, we can, we can... Hhhhhhhh..." He began to go limp. "Zai stay awake!" Donny exclaimed. Akayla tapped his face again, "look at me Zaid, how can I help you stay awake?" She asked, worried he would slip into unconsciousness. "Wake, wake me up..." Zaiden said. "Oh great, he's losing it!" Don said. They ran a bit faster until the manhole was insight. "There's the manhole!" Donny said happily. "Yes I'm a natural forest green..." Zaiden said, completely out of his mind. "Uh... I think he's delusional... We better hurry and get home... Just stay awake a little longer Zaiden." She said looking forward. "I...I trying..." He said. Don left Akayla to support Zaiden while he opened the manhole. "Okay, now how do we get him down there?" Don asked himself. As an answer, Zaiden began to tip out of Akayla's grasp, and before she could pull him back to her, he fell in. "We'll, that's one way... Just not a very good one." Donny said, looking down I to the sewer. "Oops... I'll make it up to him when he's sane." Akayla said, following Donny's lead and leaping down into the sewer after the manhole was covered. They picked up Zaiden's semi-conscious form, and began the rest of the way home.

As Akayla and Don carried Zaiden home, he continued to babble on. Speaking Spanish and singing country music. He was delirious as can be. It was becoming harder for him to keep his eyes open. He was so tired, and his body felt like lead. He couldn't move anymore, limbs fatigued and useless. They carried on in silence, only speaking when Don asked Akayla to open the door. They hurried to the infirmary, where they laid Zaiden down on one of the gurneys as gently as after laying him down, Zaiden passed out. "Donny, he passed out." Akayla said, looking Zaiden with a worried gaze. "It's okay, it was bound to happen with the altharic they injected into him..." Don replied. "WHAT?! What's altharic?" Akayla slightly shouted in shock. "Altharic is a type of poison that slowly kills you in four stages. Stage one is hallucinations, the second is hostile behavior, the third is uncontrollable shaking, then the forth stage is death. Since there weren't any puncture wounds from a needle, i can only guess that whatever they stabbed him with was coated with it. I'm starting on an antidote now, thank God we caught it while it was still in the first stage," He said, concentrating on the various concoctions he was mixing together, "will you put the oxygen mask n him please?" "Yeah, I got it." She affirmed, getting said mask and slipping it over his beak. With the push of a button, the machine roared to life, feeding air into the terrapin's abused lungs. "Will he...be okay?" Akayla was hesitant with the question, afraid of the answer it would bring. "To be honest, I'm not sure..." Don replied sadly, sending a look full of worry and fright down at his littlest brother. Akayla was tired. She has used a lot of her energy to heal what internal damages she could, but even now, barely able to keep her eyes open, she couldn't stand to see all the wounds that still littered Zaiden's body. She no longer cared about herself as she placed her hands over his chest and head without hesitation, sending a healing aura throughout his prone and battered form before collapsing to the ground, not able to support herself anymore. "Akayla!" Don shouted in alarm, running over to his fallen sister. "I'm okay Don, just drained...I'll be okay after a short rest..." And her eyes closed, physical and emotional fatigue taking over. Don scooped her up into his arms with care, and placed her on the gurney beside Zaiden's. Donatello looked between his two youngest siblings, care and worry evident in his chocolate eyes. He continued on making the antidote, not wasting any time.

Hours passed on, and soon the antidote was finished. Akayla had woken up awhile ago, and after making a promise to Zaiden that he would live even if she died trying to save him, had retreated to the corner, knees pulled to her chest and head resting in her arms, tears steadily climbing their way down her cheeks. Sometime during this, Raph had walked by, seen the state Akayla and Zaiden were in, and walked right back out. No sooner had he left, Raph had wished Zaiden death, causing the young mutant to let go, his breathing that was improving, to fall silent. Akayla looked up when they breathing she had been listening to stopped, and seen Zaiden's still body. "DONNY! He stopped breathing!" She exclaimed, springing up from where she was, and trying desperately to revive him. Her hands glowed blood red, rejecting the action as for her powers were still very dull and weak from earlier. "I can't do anything!" As Don worked to save Zaiden, above all the commotion, Akayla could hear laughter from out in the living space, and anger boiled inside her. Seeing that there wasn't anything more she could do, she left the room, deciding to face Raphael.

He was sitting on the couch watching Saw, acting as if he had done nothing wrong. She unplugged the TV, and stood in front of it, arms crossed, and a fire burning in he eyes. "HEY! IT WAS JUST GETTING TA THE BEST PART!" Raph yelled at her. She sent him look that said, 'do-you-really-think-I-care?', and yelled at him, "Fuck your show! Zaiden's in there, _dead_, and you're out here _laughing_!" Raph just shrugged his shoulders. "Serves him right..." He said with no emotion her. What little bit of self control she had left snapped, and Akayla's fury came through full force, directed at Raph. "WHAT THE HELL HAS HE DONE TO DESERVE DEATH?!" She screamed. "He's a dork, now I'm going to my room." He said with no emotion, getting up, and heading for the stairs. Akayla grabbed his wrist and tugged him backwards, stopping all of his attempted movements. "So just because he's a little dorky, he deserves death?... What the fuck is WRONG with you?! No living creature deserves death, from the highest of people, to the lowest crook. All life is sacred, and should be treated as such. And yet here you are, someone I looked up to, someone I **_TRUSTED_**, wishing death to another... I see now that you have absolutely no love in your heart. Its black, and tainted, and will **_NEVER_**, no matter how much I try, be healed... so I give up... you're dead to me Raphael..." She dropped his wrist, a single tears gliding down her cheek in sorrow. " I hope you're happy... you win... Zaiden's dead, and so am I..." She turned on her heel as he looked back at her, pain, disbelief, sadness. All these emotions were clear in his eyes. He ran out of the layer just as Akayla could no longer hold her tears back as they rolled down her face and kissed the ground. She slowly made her way back through the infirmary doors, broken hearted, depressed, and her soul crushed. "You alright Akayla?" Don asked as she reentered. "Fine... How's Zaiden?" She asked, pushing all thoughts of Raphael out of her head. "Same, I can't get him to breath..." don said, staring down at Zaiden. Akayla went over and hugged his limp body to her, not ready to let go. "Don't go Zaiden... You have to heal... For me..." She mumbled into the crook of his neck. "There's nothing else I can do... I'm sorry Akayla..." With those words, Donny left, leaving Akayla to mourn her loss in solitude. "Why did this have to happen... God tell me why! Why do you keep doing this to me?! Zaiden was the only light I had left, and you took him away! ," she held closer to her, " Zaiden... Why do you have to go? Please come back, if only for one last goodbye...," She kissed his forehead, "I'm sorry I couldn't be there to save you, I'm sorry I couldn't be by your side... I'm sorry you're gone... You didn't deserve this..." She burst into tears, unable to hold them in any longer. Se didn't know how long it had been when she started to feel the rise and fall of Zaiden's chest. She lifted her teary gaze to his, shocked when she saw the golden orbs looking back at her, dulled with pain, but very much alive. "Z-Zaiden?..." She whispered, not believing what she was seeing. "H-he sai-said you-needed me..." Zaiden wheezed and coughed. She held him close, crying into his shoulder. "If this is a d-dream, I don't wanna wake up... Y-you're really back..." She whispered into his shoulder and she wept, tears of pain turning to tears of joy.

"Thank you God... For giving me my light, my heart, my soul... My Zaiden back..."

**A/N: HELLO! I've never really done an "authors note" before, so cut me some slack if this isn't very good. I hope all my readers are enjoying my story. I was so surprised and happy when I saw that this story had 2 favorites and 1 follow! So thanks a lot you guys, it means so much! This chapter, unfortunately, is the last one I already have typed (this story is also post on ) so it'll take a bit longer to update (I know I already took a while, I'm kinda busy ^^;) but it will continue, so please to my readers, continue reading, because the story will go on!**

**~Mugleep**


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